Kansas guard Darryn Peterson (22) swings off the rim after a dunk against Green Bay during the first half on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025 at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug

Before freshman guard Darryn Peterson arrived on campus at Kansas, he said forward Flory Bidunga was the teammate with whom he was most excited to play.

The two took the floor at the same time in game action at Allen Fieldhouse for the first time on Monday night against Green Bay, and they certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Peterson lobbed Bidunga a long-distance outlet pass for a transition dunk early on, and from there they were off. Bidunga surpassed his previous career-high point total of 19 early in the second half and finished with 23 on 9-for-11 shooting, and Peterson added 21. That was more than enough juice for the Jayhawks on offense as they won their season opener, 94-51.

The one concerning element of Peterson’s debut was that it ended early. KU might not have necessarily needed anything more from him, but he appeared to ask to come out, exited with 15 minutes to go and then spoke to trainer Bill Cowgill and head coach Bill Self on the bench, where he remained for the rest of the game. He had previously missed part of KU’s exhibition against Louisville due to cramps and all of its exhibition against Fort Hays State due to what Self called “a little bug.”

Melvin Council Jr. added 10 points in a lengthy outing for KU. Marcus Hall led Green Bay with 17 points.

Peterson shone from the opening moments in his first collegiate action, scoring on a 3-pointer and a rip-and-run and feeding Bidunga as KU jumped ahead 9-3.

The Jayhawks quieted down during a stretch in which both Peterson and Council were on the bench until Jamari McDowell stripped the ball from Hall and set up another easy dunk on the break, this time for Tre White.

Green Bay went scoreless for four minutes, a period in which KU extended its advantage with the help of a 4-for-4 free-throw stretch for Bidunga — an encouraging sign for the Jayhawks after he went 0-for-5 in his last exhibition action. Peterson responded immediately to Vukasin Todorovic’s layup, and the Jayhawks eventually entered a media timeout with 6:44 to go holding a 31-11 advantage.

A second lineup with KU’s top guards sitting out endured another shaky stretch, and Self opted for an entirely new five after the Jayhawks gave up six straight points to C.J. O’Hara. Peterson almost immediately connected on a left-wing 3-pointer.

Bidunga scored back-to-back buckets in the post to restore some comfort for KU ahead of halftime. The Jayhawks allowed a layup to Mac Wrecke on the Phoenix’s final offensive possession of the half, but Peterson responded with a fadeaway at the buzzer to make it 48-27 at the break.

KU scored the first seven points of the second half, capped by a transition 3-pointer from Kohl Rosario that prompted a double fist pump from Self on the bench. The Jayhawks obtained a 30-point advantage at 64-34 by the under-16 timeout.

The Jayhawks experienced a long scoreless stretch before Jayden Dawson made a pair of free throws and Bryson Tiller threw down a dunk.

All of KU’s 13 scholarship players made their season debuts except for Corbin Allen, who is redshirting, and walk-ons Justin Cross, Wilder Evers and Will Thengvall entered with under two minutes to go. Nginyu Ngala, a 26-year-old transfer guard from Canada, received a big ovation for hitting a straight-on 3 late in the shot clock, although Green Bay’s Caden Wilkins responded with a 3 of his own a moment later.

The Jayhawks will travel to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to face the Tar Heels on Friday at 6 p.m. Central Time. UNC beat Central Arkansas 94-54 on Monday.