Kansas guard Darryn Peterson (22) slaps hands with teammates as he leaves the court during the second half on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026 at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug

Kansas won its first Big 12 road game of the season against Colorado on Tuesday.

But despite the result — and perhaps because they were playing at altitude, but whatever the case — the Jayhawks lacked the intensity on both ends of the floor that they had displayed in recent home victories over Iowa State and Baylor.

“I actually saw things last week that (gave) me a thought, saying we could be really good at a lot of things,” KU coach Bill Self said. “And then I saw something the other day against Colorado which leads me to believe we can also be very average at a lot of those same things.”

Self was watching the CU game at an atypical remove, as he had stayed back in Lawrence in the hospital, where he learned he was dehydrated and had atrial fibrillation. But he was back home by the game, went back to work in short order and added on Thursday, “It won’t impact me moving forward.”

With Jacque Vaughn filling in, KU did what it set out to do and claimed the road win. Now it will face an even more challenging environment: Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan for the Sunflower Showdown on Saturday night at 7 p.m.

Kansas State has gotten the better of its rival at the so-called Octagon of Doom in each of the last three seasons, though KU’s 203 wins over KSU are still the most by any school over any opponent in Division I.

“They’re going to come to play, obviously, as they have,” redshirt sophomore guard Jamari McDowell said. “They’ve gotten over on us a couple times the past few years. We’re going to for sure try to not let that happen. But they’re a great team, they had a great home win over Utah the other day, and they can shoot the ball lights out, so it’s going to be tough.”

The Wildcats have to this point experienced a season like many under head coach Jerome Tang, which is to say a roller-coaster campaign with wild highs and lows. After revamping their roster in the offseason with a set of marquee transfers — also common for K-State — the Wildcats opened 5-0 before losing by a single point to Nebraska, which still has not lost this season and remains unbeaten. That, however, was the start of a four-game streak that included a home loss to Bowling Green (KenPom No. 112).

Next up were four wins in a row, and then five consecutive losses to start conference play: versus BYU, at Arizona and Arizona State, versus UCF, and at Oklahoma State when the Wildcats led by two and Abdi Bashir Jr. fouled Vyctorius Miller on a 3-point attempt with two seconds left.

K-State pushed its record back above .500 on Tuesday with its first league win, 81-78 over Utah at Bramlage Coliseum. P.J. Haggerty, a guard who joined the Wildcats from Memphis in the offseason, scored 34 points on 29 shots, including a pair of clutch plays late that gave KSU the lead in the final two minutes.

That is not at all unusual for Haggerty, a reigning second-team All-American who is the nation’s third-leading scorer at 23.4 points per game — he also exceeded 21 points per game at Memphis and before that at Tulsa.

“He can score the ball and he can get to spots that’s different than what most guards can get to,” Self said. “Because he’ll score beyond the arc, but where he’s so effective is getting the ball downhill, getting to the free-throw line and everything. We’ll have to come up with a way to minimize him doing the things he wants to do, if possible.”

The Utah contest was Haggerty’s third game of the season with 30-plus points, and it was particularly important that he provide that high level of production given the rash of injuries that had beset K-State.

Bashir, a high-volume 3-point shooter, will be out for an extended time after undergoing surgery due to a stress fracture. Forward Khamari McGriff, wing Elias Rapieque and guard Mobi Ikegwuruka all missed the Utah game. McGriff, a UNCW transfer averaging 10.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, had been a game-time decision due to what Tang called a “freak thing” during KSU’s shootaround, and is considered day-to-day.

The result was that the Wildcats, with a depleted frontcourt in particular, only deployed seven players against the Utes. Sophomore guard David Castillo, who has primarily come off the bench, stepped up with 20 points on six 3s, one of the best showings of his career. Akron transfer Nate Johnson scored 17 with six assists. Both are hovering around 40% from beyond the arc.

“The biggest thing is you can’t let those other guys have big nights because (Haggerty)’s going to get points,” Self said.

photo by: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Kansas State guard P.J. Haggerty (4) shoots over Utah guard Terrence Brown (2) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in Manhattan.

photo by: AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Kansas State guard Nate Johnson celebrates after making a three-point shot during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Utah, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in Manhattan.

photo by: AP Photo/Rick Scuteri

Kansas State guard David Castillo (10) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Arizona, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Tucson, Ariz.

Scoring does not tend to be the issue for K-State, which makes more than 10 3s per game and moves the ball well with 19.1 assists on average (11th in the nation). But the Wildcats are just 104th defensively on KenPom and concede a lot of extra possessions: They outrebound their opponents by less than one board, which is third worst in the Big 12 — Haggerty is KSU’s leading rebounder at 5.2 per game — and commit 12.7 turnovers.

Even with the continued presence of Haggerty, it is not the strongest group of Wildcats KU has faced during Tang’s tenure. But so far the Jayhawks have not beaten any such group at Bramlage Coliseum.

“I actually it’s, for us, probably as good a home court that we’ll play in in our league,” Self said. “I think that we haven’t performed as well as we would hope, but I also think that they’ve had a lot to do with that, especially the last couple years.”

KANSAS STATE WILDCATS (10-9, 1-5 BIG 12) vs. NO. 19 KANSAS JAYHAWKS (14-5, 4-2 BIG 12)

• Bramlage Coliseum, Manhattan, 7 p.m.

• Broadcast: Fox

• Radio: Jayhawk Radio Network (in Lawrence, KLWN AM 1320 / K269GB FM 101.7 / KKSW FM 105.9 / KMXN FM 92.9)

KEEP AN EYE OUT

Turned for the worse: KU’s fabulous freshman guard Darryn Peterson made it through the conclusion of a game at long last as he scored 16 points against Colorado, including a key 3-pointer in the final minutes. The problem was that he turned his ankle in the second half. Peterson played through the pain, but his status is also now in doubt for Saturday. Self said it’s a “severe” sprain. KU has had plenty of experience playing without Peterson, but the Jayhawks would undoubtedly prefer to have one of the best players in the nation, averaging 21.6 points per game in limited minutes, on their side whenever possible.

Magnificent seven: The formula will change to some extent if Peterson isn’t available, but KU has largely limited its rotation to seven players of late, with veterans Elmarko Jackson and McDowell the only major contributors and transfer guard Jayden Dawson making occasional contributions. McDowell said he felt there were several bench players who could fill in effectively but added, “it’s just a matter of experience, and time spent with each other and Coach.” Self, for his part, said he’s not opposed to using other players, but doesn’t want to use a larger amount of players in a given game. Right now, the determining factor for bench minutes is “who best blends in with the other guys on the court.”

Behind the double: Peterson faced the challenge at Colorado of having to deal with repeated traps by multiple defenders off ball screens. At one point he got stuck in an inopportune area and had to call timeout. Self assessed the situation as follows: “They strung it out to the point where they made him give it up in a way where he can probably do a better job of on time, on target, on when he gives it up.” But the head coach also noted that his fellow Jayhawks can do a better job of playing four-on-three off-ball offense behind the double team to make things easier — if opposing teams defend Peterson in this fashion moving forward.

OFF-KILTER OBSERVATION

KU, which played against UNCW last season, will face its second former Seahawk big man in about two weeks if McGriff is able to go for the Wildcats. The Jayhawks will hope to handle him better than they did Hoxie native Harlan Obioha, who had an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double for West Virginia when the Mountaineers beat KU on Jan. 10.