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How does early March Madness exit impact Peterson's NBA Draft stock?

Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

How does early March Madness exit impact Kansas star Darryn Peterson's NBA Draft stock?

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Mar 23, 2026 2:10 PM ET

Did an early March Madness exit give experts second thoughts about taking Kansas Jayhawks freshman guard Darryn Peterson No. 1 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft?

Peterson, who is expected to forgo his remaining three years of college eligibility, should soon begin preparing for the draft after the Jayhawks lost to the St. John's Red Storm, 67-65, in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. His March Madness appearance left one talent evaluator wishing he had seen more.

ESPN's Seth Greenberg explains why he wouldn't take Darryn Peterson with the No. 1 pick

Greenberg, a former Virginia Tech Hokies head coach, assessed Peterson's performance against St. John's during ESPN's "Get Up" on Monday. He explained he wanted him to take over the game, as NBA stars do.

"In that game, a game you must win against St. John's, you need to take over the game, you need to have the mentality that [Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr.] had the other night," Greenberg said. "And I just did not see that, and that is my concern for Peterson, and that's why I would not take him No. 1."

"The guy is a ridiculous shot-maker... but he doesn't work as hard as he needs to. ... That is my concern for Peterson, and that's why I would not take him No. 1."

—@SethOnHoops on Darryn Peterson after Kansas' season-ending loss to St. John's pic.twitter.com/RowA3LPP83
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 23, 2026

Acuff scored 36 points on 11-of-22 shooting (50 percent) from the field in Arkansas' 94-88 win over the High Point Panthers in the Round of 32. Peterson, meanwhile, didn't flop against St. John's, but he wasn't nearly as impressive, scoring 21 points on 5-of-15 shooting (33.3 percent) from the field.

It's worth mentioning that Peterson's supporting cast did him very few favors. The Jayhawks committed 16 turnovers in the loss to the Red Storm. The freshman guard logged three of them.

However, Greenberg noted Peterson (who averaged 20.2 points per game this season) doesn't "work as hard" as he should to get open. That could become a bigger problem against NBA defenses, and it raises more questions about his love for the game, a concern throughout his freshman season.

Peterson missed 11 games because of hamstring and quad injuries and illnesses this season. He also appeared to check himself out of games due to ongoing cramping.

"Basketball is my life," Peterson told ESPN's Myron Medcalf in February while discussing his availability issues and responding to skeptics questioning the severity of his injuries.

Greenberg's criticism and Peterson's other issues won't convince several NBA teams to pass on him in the draft. Before March Madness, a general manager told ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst, "He's worth a headache or two."

Peterson, though, is no longer a surefire No. 1 pick. As of Monday, FanDuel Sportsbook gives BYU Cougars freshman forward AJ Dybantsa the best odds (-115) to be the top pick. He had a much better March Madness showing than Peterson, scoring 35 points on 11-of-25 shooting (44 percent) from the field in a 79-71 first-round loss to the Texas Longhorns.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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