How Darryn Peterson and Kansas offense failed to solve St. John's defense in star's likely final NCAA game

The Kansas Jayhawks lost to the St. John's Red Storm in the Round of 32 in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. St. John's went into halftime up 34-26, but needed a buzzer-beater to secure the 67-65 victory as time expired. 

Kansas was led all season by star freshman Darryn Peterson. He is a finalist for the Wooden Award, and when he is on the court, the Jayhawks often play through him. Kansas got off to a slow start in the first half, and a lot of it could be attributed to how Peterson played. The star guard was 2-6 from the field and finished the first half with only nine points. 

The Jayhawks as a team struggled early, but managed to battle back into the game. Peterson finished with 21 points, but still only made five shots throughout the entire game. Kansas finally started playing cohesively as they built their comeback, but it all came together a little too late. St. John's hit a buzzer-beater to win the game and advance to the Sweet Sixteen. The Jayhawks were eliminated, and Peterson is likely heading to the NBA, as he is expected to be a lottery pick in this summer's draft. 

Here is more on Peterson's game against St. John's as Kansas was eliminated from the 2026 NCAA Tournament. 

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Darryn Peterson stats today

Here is a look at how Peterson played against St. John's in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. 

• 36 minutes
• 21 points
• 4 rebounds
• 0 assists
• 0 steals
• 4 blocks
• 3 turnovers
• 0 fouls
• 5-15 FG
• 3-8 3FG
• 8-10 FT

Peterson got off to a slow start for the Jayhawks. He only scored nine points in the first half, adding 12 in the second. Peterson was 2-6 from the field in the first half and only made three more shots the rest of the game. He averaged 1.7 assists per game during the regular season, so involving his teammates has never been a major part of his game. Still, it is strange to see a player of his caliber finishing a game with zero assists. 

HISTORY OF UPSETS BY SEED:
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Darryn Peterson vs. Kansas teammates

Peterson is used to having to put the Jayhawks' offense on his back. He played in 23 games this year, averaging 20.1 points. Kansas' next highest scorer was guard Tre White, who averaged 13.8 points per game. Peterson also averaged 4.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 steals. 

He led Kansas with 21 points against St. John's. Peterson hit two free throws late in the second half to tie the game at 65 apiece, but St. John's eventually hit a buzzer-beater to win 67-65. The Jayhawks' second-leading scorer was Melvin Council Jr., who had 15 points, and Flory Bidunga had 12 points. 

Peterson started off the game inconsistently from the floor, and that spread to his teammates. Kansas was down eight at halftime, but battled back in the second half and even had a chance to win. Peterson's pace of play and quality seemed directly linked to the Jayhawks' overall performance. Unfortunately, the late surge was too little, too late, and Peterson's game-tying free throws weren't enough to seal the win with St. John's buzzer beater. 

SN AWARDS: All-America team | Boozer Player of the Year | Lloyd Coach of the Year 

What's next for Darryn Peterson?

Peterson is a true freshman, so he could return to the Jayhawks if he desired, but it is considered extremely unlikely. He is expected to be a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. 

Sporting News' Elliott Pohnl released a mock draft ahead of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Pohnl had the Indiana Pacers selecting Peterson with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. 

CBS Sports' Adam Finkelstein agreed that Peterson lands with the Pacers, but had the selection happening at No. 2. It is worth pointing out that the order for the 2026 NBA Draft hasn't been determined yet, so the teams and their positions could move between now and the draft in June.

ESPN's Jeremy Wood agreed that Peterson would be selected first overall, but had the pick made by the Sacramento Kings. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman mocked Peterson to the Brooklyn Nets with the third overall pick. 

The main point of the four mock drafts above is that none of them had Peterson falling outside the top three, making a return to Kansas highly unlikely, though anything could happen.