Le Journal

The college basketball season is roughly at the halfway point, meaning we’ve got a pretty good read on what these teams and players are going to be as we progress through conference play. A team like Kansas, who has somewhat slept walked through the start of the season, found its way with two big home wins over previously unbeaten Iowa State and the Baylor Bears. On the flip side, Iowa State and Vanderbilt were undefeated entering the week, but emerged having lost two consecutive games. Sustainability is the name of the game this time of the year, and we will soon find out who has it and who does not. Prospect of the week: Darryn Peterson (Guard, Kansas) Last five games: 24.6 points, 5.0 rebounds per game (48.7% from the floor, 39.5% from deep) It is remarkable to watch Darryn Peterson play basketball, and here lately he finally has been playing consistently. There isn’t a player in college right now who is as NBA ready as Peterson is. His ability on the offensive end to meticulously get to his spots and knock down shots is fun to watch. Darryn has a great pace to his game off the dribble, as he never feels sped up by a defender. "Haha! Ball. Player." Darryn Peterson putting on a show @KUHoops pic.twitter.com/sqPW5CCExL— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) January 17, 2026 Simply put, I can’t think of a guard in recent memory that has been more polished at the college level than Darryn Peterson. There is still at least some concern from me about Darryn’s continued leg issues, as he has not played more than 32 minutes in a game this season. However, he hasn’t missed a game since Big 12 play began, and he’s looked fantastic while he’s been out there. Assuming he isn’t medically red flagged, this is your first overall pick. I know that Peterson has a hype train that follows him every time he steps on the floor. Frankly, I don’t think we’re doing enough to explain just how good he is. You could drop Darryn Peterson into the Warriors at Mavericks game on Thursday, and he would probably be the third or fourth best player on the court. He’s going to be a star. Games of the week January 20th 12 Texas Tech at Baylor – 8:00p CT (Peacock) 15 Vanderbilt at 20 Arkansas – 8:00p CT (ESPN) 19 Kansas at Colorado – 10:00p CT (ESPN) This is a fun Tuesday night card. Texas Tech is coming off of a huge home win against a very good BYU team. They’ll now face a Baylor squad that has looked awful as of late, but this is a dangerous spot. Vanderbilt was unbeaten this time last week, but that zero in the loss column is now a two and they’re underdogs in Fayetteville. The Hogs are a different team at home, and Darius Acuff should have a favorable matchup against the undersized Commodores. Finally, Kansas is heading to elevation against a feisty Colorado squad. Darryn Peterson and the Jayhawks are better, but this is a typical let down spot. January 24th 22 North Carolina at 14 Virginia – 1:00p CT (ESPN) 11 Illinois at 4 Purdue – 2:00p CT (FOX) 6 Houston at 12 Texas Tech – 5:30p CT (ESPN) Tennessee at 17 Alabama – 7:30p CT (ESPN) We get to run back one of the games of the year on Saturday, as Texas Tech will get to host Houston this time around. I’ll be very interested to see how Tech handles Kingston Flemings, as the young freshman lit the Red Raiders up for 23 points in the first matchup. Conversely, does Houston continue to throw doubles at Christian Anderson? This allows JT Toppin to play four on three in the short roll, which is advantageous for Texas Tech. College Gameday in Lubbock, plus a night game so the students can hydrate all day? We are in store for a fantastic game. Elsewhere, we’ve got a few nice matchups to round out the day. The Heels have struggled lately, almost entirely because they can’t get stops defensively. That is an issue against UVA, as the tempo that they are playing stresses even the best defenses. Caleb Wilson, UNC’s phenomenal freshman, will have ample opportunity to show off here. Next up, Illinois at Purdue features an…

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Darryn Peterson has become more and more the talk of the basketball world. Peterson, the Kansas freshman who turned 19, entered the basketball season as the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft. The 6’5 combo-guard is averaging an absurd 22 points on 50% from the field and a resounding 40% from the three-point line. Not only is he a ridiculous scorer, but he’s also averaging 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists, along with an insane 32.9 PER rating. Peterson was a top high school basketball prospect who attended several schools, including Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy in Ohio, Huntington Prep in West Virginia, and finally Prolific Prep in Napa, California, where he finished his senior year, becoming the 2025 Naismith High School Player of the Year before committing to the University of Kansas. After coming in as the favorite to go number 1 in June’s draft, Peterson’s college career started shaky with a pulled hamstring, sidelining Peterson for nine of Kansas’ first 14 games of the season. Peterson returned to the lineup full-time on January 3rd and has played in every game since, scoring fewer than 20 just once since his return. His play, including most recently a 30-point night on 11-for-13 shooting against Baylor, has led the talk around Peterson in basketball communities and online circles to grow, and deservingly so. People online have made comparisons to Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, and even Michael Jordan. One Kansas fan said that he will be a fringe All-NBA player by year 4 in the league. Peterson is one of the best guard prospects basketball has ever seen, and there is simply no denying that. But there is a serious question about whether a player this young, who has played so little basketball, can meet the expectations being placed on him. This conversation must start with the obvious: YES, Darryn Peterson deserves hype, a lot of it. The reason is simply that it’s rare to see a guy at 18, now 19, with that kind of NBA body and the shot-making ability. He’s pretty comfortably 1.01 in this class if he’s not medically red-flagged. In a guards league, a guy who can step and average between 15 and 20 points a night provides a high floor for any prospect. Combine that with his insane defensive prowess, elite athleticism, and high IQ, and you have a can-not-miss prospect. But prospects as elite as this are still prospects, not guarantees. Peterson has shades of all the excellent guard prospects to come out, including Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, and Cade Cunningham. The best comparison for Peterson I have seen is John Wall, one of the most explosive players in college basketball history. The 6’4 combo-guard was also the clear number one pick from his shifty scoring and can’t miss athleticism, along with being described as “one of the best defensive point guards in the league when healthy” per HoopsHype from 2010. Wall also heavily relied on PNR actions, making his playmaking potential more intriguing to scouts. Peterson is also an elite on- and off-ball skilled scorer who has been a top defensive prospect at every level, and he became a standout PNR creator in his last year and a half of HS. Guys like Luka, Edwards, and even Cunningham were not coming into the draft with as high a defensive IQ or Motor as Wall did, and Peterson does. What sets Peterson apart is his elite and ridiculous shot-making. The closest pure scorer that comes close to Peterson out of college is Kyrie Irving. While Irving only played in 11 games in college and did not average the 22 that Peterson does, the tough shot-making is what got Irving taken at number one, despite the injury. Irving averaged 17.5 points in college on a similar 55% from the field, 40% from the 3-point line, just as Peterson is doing now. Irvings’ scoring also looks like Peterson’s, two players who get to their spots and can work on or off the ball in isolation or off screens, manipulating the…