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AJ Dybantsa Ranked Second in ESPN’s Draft List: Who's No. 1?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Kevin Matthew Borba | Last updated Nov 10, 2025 1:07 PM ET

College basketball season has arrived, which means all eyes are on AJ Dybantsa and the BYU Cougars. Ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the country by Rivals, Dybantsa stunned the college basketball world by choosing BYU over programs such as the Kansas Jayhawks, Alabama Crimson Tide and North Carolina Tar Heels.

BYU opened the season as the No. 8 team in the country and has started with a 2-0 record. Through two games, Dybantsa is averaging a team-high 19 points, tied for the team high in rebounds with 7 and leading the team in assists per game with 3. The Massachusetts native is shooting 57.1% from the field, but underwhelming from deep at 33.3%. In the team's latest win over Holy Cross, Dybantsa dropped 17 points, making 7-of-10 shots while grabbing eight rebounds.

While the NBA draft is still far away at this point, many around the sport would assume Dybantsa is the sure-fire top prospect in this class, but ESPN's top 100 prospects list indicates otherwise.

While Dybantsa is by far the biggest name in college basketball and was the No. 1 recruit, a classmate of his really made a push for that top spot and may be surpassing him as the favorite to be the top pick in the draft.

As revealed by Jeremy Woo of ESPN, Kansas' Darryn Peterson is picking up steam as the best prospect in the class.

"The debates about which prospect should be the No. 1 pick are already unfolding around the NBA," Woo wrote. "I've had this conversation with many around the league since last spring, and right now it's Peterson who has the loudest argument. He's continued to back that up with his play coming off a dominant senior year of high school, and there frankly just hasn't been much for scouts to nitpick."

Through two games, Peterson is averaging 21.5 points, 3 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 60% from the field and 50% from deep. In the team's most recent game, a loss against the No. 25 North Carolina Tar Heels, Peterson dropped a team-high 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 shooting from three.

Barring a meeting in the Big 12 Tournament, Peterson and Dybantsa are scheduled to meet just once this year, as BYU will make the trip to Lawrence on Jan. 31. The head-to-head matchup will certainly have the eyes of college basketball and the NBA on it.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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