Darryn Peterson catches fire late to lift Kansas over Texas Tech

Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson (22) goes to the basket against Texas Tech Red Raiders forward JT Toppin (15) in the first half at United Supermarkets Arena. Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

Darryn Peterson catches fire late to lift No. 11 Kansas over No. 13 Texas Tech

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Feb 3, 2026 12:01 AM ET

Kansas freshman guard Darryn Peterson justified the hype on Monday.

The potential No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft made up for a quiet second half against the Associated Press No. 13 Texas Tech Red Raiders (16-6, 6-3 in Big 12) by draining two late threes, the first tying the game at 61 and the next giving the No. 11 Kansas Jayhawks (17-5, 7-2 in Big 12) the decisive 64-61 lead.

Darryn Peterson's clutch threes propel Kansas to massive Big 12 road win over Texas Tech

Before the sequence, Peterson had two points in the second half.

Overall, the talented freshman had a rough shooting performance, going 5-of-14 from the court. But his two late makes were an intriguing glimpse into his potential, with Peterson cooly connecting on the three to tie after taking a beat and gathering as 6-foot-9 Texas Tech forward JT Toppin guarded him.

OH MY GOD DARRYN PETERSON

BACK-TO-BACK CLUTCH THREES TO TAKE THE LEAD pic.twitter.com/YWCEYvTCZq
— br_betting (@br_betting) February 3, 2026

He was a one-man show on the second make, effortlessly dribbling to his spot and launching the three, displaying his smooth shooting motion.

DARRYN PETERSON CLUTCH pic.twitter.com/P9vjYijwNi
— ESPN (@espn) February 3, 2026

Peterson ended the low-scoring game tied for a game-high 19 points while also adding two assists, two rebounds and an assist. His strong finish was a great sign after he only played the first three minutes of the second half in Kansas' last game, a 90-82 win over the No. 16 BYU Cougars (17-4, 5-3 in Big 12) on Saturday.

The No. 1 recruit in an impressive 2025 class, Peterson made the most of limited opportunities this season. He's only played in 12 of a possible 22 games due to injury, but is averaging 21.1 points per game on 49.4/43.2/80.6 percent shooting splits.

If healthy, Peterson is looking like an easy choice for the top pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Before then, he could lead Kansas to its second national title in five seasons.

The Jayhawks are strong defensively, ranking eighth nationally in KenPom's defensive efficiency metric. During their current six-game winning streak, they're allowing 66.5 points per game.

Peterson is an offensive hub, proving capable of taking over games when necessary. With the team's defensive effort, that could be a winning formula in March. It was on Monday.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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