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Myron Medcalf
Multiple Authors
LAWRENCE, Kan. — In Lawrence, Kansas, on Monday night, the No. 9 Kansas Jayhawks delivered No. 1 Arizona their initial defeat of the season, securing an 82-78 victory. This impressive win occurred despite Kansas playing without Darryn Peterson, their projected No. 1 draft pick, who was sidelined by illness. Following the game, Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd insisted on giving due credit to the Jayhawks.
“Folks, Kansas is an outstanding squad,” stated Lloyd, whose team had maintained an undefeated streak since March 27, 2025, when they fell to Duke in the Sweet 16. He added, “Let’s not center this discussion on Darryn Peterson. He was absent because of sickness. Kansas defeated the top-ranked team in the nation on their home court. They performed exceptionally well, and their coach did a fantastic job. That ought to be the main narrative.”
Compensating for Peterson’s absence, Flory Bidunga contributed 23 points, Bryson Tiller added 18, and Melvin Council Jr. scored 23, with their combined 64 points powering Kansas past Arizona. Arizona had arrived on Monday holding top-five rankings in both offensive and defensive efficiency.
Notably, Kansas achieved a historic feat, becoming the first team in three decades to defeat an AP No. 1 ranked opponent without having a player who averages 20 points per game.
Numerous scouts and NBA executives traveled to Lawrence specifically to watch Peterson, who was absent from the game due to “flu-like symptoms.” Jayhawks coach Bill Self noted that Peterson skipped practice on Sunday but participated in pregame warmups on Monday. Self admitted he recognized Peterson wasn’t at his best but believed “adrenaline would kick in,” enabling Peterson to play.
Self recounted, “I went to the training room, and he was attempting to prepare. I asked him, ‘Can you play?’ and he responded, ‘Coach, I don’t believe I can.'” Self continued, “Frankly, I’d probably prefer him not to play if he couldn’t genuinely contribute, as we’d just devote 20 minutes trying to set him up for shots or similar, and if he’s not feeling it, I’d much rather things unfolded as they did. So, he made an effort, but he simply couldn’t manage it.”
This situation wasn’t new for Kansas, as they had faced it several times throughout the current season. Peterson has been sidelined for 11 games due to cramping or various injuries, and in five additional contests, he played less than 25 minutes because of these recurring problems.
The Jayhawks previously demonstrated their ability to perform without Peterson, successfully rallying to win three games (against Notre Dame, Syracuse, and Tennessee) at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas during Feast Week. However, they had also suffered defeats in earlier critical games against formidable opponents like Duke and UConn when Peterson was unavailable.
The Jayhawks were informed of Peterson’s unavailability for Monday’s game only after they had returned to the court following their warmups.
“Our mission remains the same. We still need to contend,” commented Bidunga, who achieved a rare feat, becoming only the third player in 35 seasons to record at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks in a victory against an AP No. 1 team. He continued, “We’ve competed in some games without [Peterson], and that has strengthened us. Although he wasn’t present – we certainly hoped he would be there for the game – regrettably, he wasn’t. Nevertheless, we still had a responsibility to fulfill, and we performed quite well.”
Prior to Monday’s contest, on Saturday, Arizona had routed Oklahoma State by 37 points, marking their fifth victory this season with a margin of 25 points or more against a top-60 KenPom ranked opponent. On Monday, Kansas successfully overcame an 11-point disadvantage early in the second half, then proceeded to outscore Arizona 38-23 over the final 17 minutes.
Tiller, responsible for 14 of his team’s initial 22 points, delivered a crucial dunk late in the game as Arizona attempted a comeback. With 17 seconds remaining, Bidunga critically blocked Brayden Burries’ shot on a drive, maintaining a three-point advantage. Council then sank a clutch floater, expanding his team’s lead to six points with under a minute left, and subsequently converted 3 out of 4 free throws in the last 30 seconds to help secure the victory.
Self remarked that Monday’s triumph demonstrated that while his team isn’t necessarily superior without Peterson, they do exhibit greater assertiveness.
“One positive aspect regarding [Peterson] is that when he hasn’t played, we’ve often been individually more aggressive,” Self explained. “Certainly, we’re not as skilled, but we show more individual aggression. … I’m unsure if we would have approached the game with such aggression had [Peterson] been playing, given that he typically receives many of those touches and takes many of those shots.”
This victory marked Kansas’s inaugural win against an AP No. 1 team at Allen Fieldhouse. For Self, it boosted his record at “the Phog” against ranked opponents to 83-15, moving him past Jerry Tarkanian for the second-highest home winning percentage against ranked teams in NCAA history, with only John Wooden ahead of him.
The capacity crowd at Allen Fieldhouse maintained an unyielding energy throughout the entire game. At one juncture, the arena’s noise level hit more than 118 decibels – a volume comparable to a jet engine – as measured by the in-house decibel meter.
Self commented that despite the Jayhawks being under-manned, the crowd provided the necessary impetus for the win and “assumed responsibility” for sustaining his team’s high energy.
“It’s challenging to feel fatigued when the crowd is like that,” Self stated. “And while many fantastic crowds exist elsewhere, everyone might perceive me as biased for claiming ours is the best – a claim I perhaps shouldn’t make, as I’m not fully aware of what other venues offer. However, I can assure you, there’s no venue superior to this one.”
This report includes contributions from ESPN Research.