No. 19 KU rebuilds around elite freshman Darryn Peterson after back-to-back disappointing seasons
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No. 19 Kansas (21-13, 11-9 Big 12)
The Jayhawks were the preseason No. 1 team last season and never lived up to the hype. They were bounced by Arizona in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament, then were beaten by Arkansas in the first round of the NCAAs. Just about everyone from that team is gone now, replaced by a few select transfers and a freshman class that should be among the best in the nation. Darryn Peterson could be the No. 1 NBA draft pick next year.
Players to watch
Peterson is exactly the kind of player that Kansas has not had the past few years: He can score even when the Jayhawks run bad offense. The 18-year-old from Prolific Prep in Napa, California, was a McDonald’s All-American after averaging more than 30 points per game last season.
Departures and arrivals
Longtime mainstays Hunter Dickinson, K.J. Adams Jr. and Dajuan Harris Jr. all graduated, as did Zeke Mayo, one of the few transfers who worked out last season. AJ Storr transferred to Ole Miss after a disappointing season, Rylan Griffen headed to Texas A&M and Rakease Passmore and David Coit Jr. transferred to Maryland.
Tre White arrived from Illinois, Jayden Dawson came from Loyola and Melvin Council Jr. joined from St. Bonaventure. Peterson is part of a six-man freshman class that includes elite prospects Kohl Rosario, Samis Calderon and French center Paul Mbiya.
Top games
The Jayhawks open against Green Bay on Nov. 3 before a trip to No. 25 North Carolina four days later. They also play No. 6 Duke in New York, Notre Dame and Syracuse in Las Vegas, No. 4 UConn at Allen Fieldhouse on Dec. 2, and Missouri in the Border War in Kansas City.
Big 12 play ends with a brutal stretch that includes No. 2 Houston, No. 13 Arizona, a trip to Arizona State and rival Kansas State.
Facts and figures
Kansas has not made it out of the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2022, when it won the national title. … The Jayhawks had been the preseason No. 1 in the AP Top 25 each of the past two seasons. … Kansas has lost double-digit games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 1998-99 and ‘99-00 seasons. … The Jayhawks were a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament last season, their worst seed under Bill Self. They were an 8-seed in 2000 under Roy Williams. … Self has won 831 games, two behind Cliff Ellis for No. 12 on the Division I list.
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Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball