KU’s Darryn Peterson Opens as Betting Favorite to go No. 1 in 2026 NBA Draft

Kansas basketball freshman Darryn Peterson has a lot of expectations upon his shoulders for his first college basketball season.

Even KU head coach Bill Self has high hopes for his young guard after recently suggesting Peterson may be the most talented freshman he’s ever coached.

Sports betting experts also appear to have big expectations for the star-studded freshman as DraftKings Sportsbook has listed Peterson as the favorite to go No. 1 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft. 

He currently has the best odds (+135) of any college or international player. Fellow Big 12 freshman AJ Dybantsa (BYU) sits second at +145 and Duke freshman Cam Boozer is third with +220 odds. 

Peterson and Dybantsa had some epic matchups over the past year with Peterson and his Prolific Prep team getting the better of Dybantsa and his Utah Prep squad on multiple occassions. In one matchup, Peterson put up an incredible 61 points and hit the game-winning three-pointer.

Peterson also put up 33 points in a win against Columbus Prep where Boozer and his twin brother Cayden played high school ball.

Peterson's performance in those head-to-head battles and throughout his senior season helped him leapfrog Dybantsa in the 2025 recruiting rankings to become the No. 1 high school prospect in the country, according to 247Sports.

The KU coaching staff is counting on that talent translating to the collegiate level as Peterson will be counted on to lead this year's team which has a lot of new faces now that seniors Dajuan Harris Jr., KJ Adams, and Hunter Dickinson have moved on.

If he can live up to the preseason expectations and carry this Jayhawks team to a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, he'll have a great shot at becoming the first pick in next year's NBA draft as projected.

If that happens, Peterson would be the third KU player in history to achieve that honor - joining KU legend and 1988 national champion Danny Manning and former KU freshman phenom Andrew Wiggins. 

Manning was selected No. 1 in the 1988 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers and went on to play six years with the franchise. He became a two-time NBA All-Star as a Clipper before being traded during the 1993-94 season. Injuries plagued his NBA career (he suffered two torn ACLs) but he managed to play in the NBA for 15 seasons before retiring in 2003.

Wiggins was drafted with the No. 1 pick in 2014 by the Cleveland Cavaliers but was later traded that offseason to the Minnesota Timberwolves where he played for six years before being traded (again) to the Golden State Warriors in 2020. He spent six seasons with the team and was a key piece of their 2022 NBA Championship team.