Via Kansas Athletics
LOUISVILLE – Behind 26 points from freshman sensation Darryn Peterson, No.19 Kansas defeated No.11 Louisville, 90-82, Friday evening in exhibition play at the KFC Yum! Center.
More than 25 NBA scouts came to mainly see Peterson and he did not let them down in his unofficial KU debut. The Canton, Ohio native was explosive from the jump. He scored 24 points in the first half on 8-of-11 shooting and had 16 of the team’s first 30 points. He finished the night with 26 points, five steals, four rebounds and a pair of assists.
Peterson had five teammates join him in double figures. Sophomore Flory Bidunga finished with 14 points and six rebounds, while freshman Bryson Tiller had 12 points, seven boards and four blocks in his first game in a Kansas uniform. Elmarko Jackson, who missed the 2024-25 season with an injury, also finished in double figures with 11 points, going 9-for-9 from the free throw line. Melvin Council Jr., also finished with 11, going 9-for-10 from the line. Tre White added 14 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
“We did a lot of great things in the first half, in large part because of Darryn obviously,” Coach Bill Self said. “Situationally, that was good for us…It’s a good start and hopefully gives us momentum to get better over the next 10 days.”
The Jayhawks led early and often, leading for more than 35 of the game’s 40 minutes. Behind seven points from Peterson, Kansas jumped out to a 9-0 lead in the first three-plus minutes of the contest. Kansas showed scrappy defense as Louisville was just 1-for-6 to start the contest.
Louisville made it a game of runs and scored 12-straight points before KU’s Tre White cut the lead to 12-11 with a basket heading into the second media timeout.
In the next two minutes, Peterson took over. He made three 3-pointers with his third forcing a Louisville timeout as Kansas went up 30-18 with 7:32 to go before halftime.
Peterson’s line for the first half read 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including 6-for-9 from three-point range with three steals. The Jayhawks took their largest lead of the half, 46-30, into halftime.
Though unofficial, Peterson’s six threes made in the first half would rank tied for second in KU history. Jeff Boschee made seven threes in the first half against Kansas State on March 9, 2000, while Gradey Dick made six threes in the first half against North Carolina State on Nov. 23, 2022.
Early in the second half Louisville would cut Kansas’ to nine at 51-42 but the Jayhawks would build it back and led 57-43 on a drive and dunk from freshman Bryson Tiller with 13:53 to play. Kansas kept the momentum and led 68-50 with 7:58 to play following a White steal and dunk.
The Jayhawks kept the Cardinals at arm’s length, despite several comeback attempts by 11th-ranked Louisville. Bidunga and Tiller were vital in keeping the Jayhawks out in front in the second half, combining for 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Kansas led by at least eight points throughout the second half.
UP NEXT
Kansas will conclude exhibition play when it hosts Fort Hays State on Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. CT in Allen Fieldhouse. The contest will be televised on ESPN+.
