Kansas guard Darryn Peterson (22) and BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) compete for a loose ball during the first half on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026 at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug

A game billed all week as a showdown between the potential top two picks in the 2026 NBA Draft delivered plenty of professional-caliber moments from Kansas’ Darryn Peterson — and not quite as many from BYU’s AJ Dybantsa — in the first half as the Jayhawks jumped ahead by 20 points at halftime, with Peterson having scored 18.

But as Peterson sat out most of the second half, an all-too-familiar sight for KU fans, the responsibility for protecting that lead fell to the rest of the Jayhawks.

They struggled to contain Richie Saunders, who knocked down 3-pointer after 3-pointer before an increasingly aggravated Allen Fieldhouse crowd and scored 24 points in the second half, and KU saw a lead that was once 21 points dwindle all the way down to four. But the 14th-ranked Jayhawks held on for a white-knuckle win over the 13th-ranked Cougars, 90-82, on Saturday afternoon.

Dybantsa finished with 17 in 34 minutes, and Robert Wright III added 18, but Saunders, with 33, was the real star for BYU on the day. Bryson Tiller’s career-high 21 points, 16 from Flory Bidunga and 15 points, six rebounds and six assists from Melvin Council Jr. gave KU just what it needed to finish off the late challenge.

BYU struck first on a 3-pointer by the ever-reliable Saunders, but the Jayhawks responded with seven straight before Kennard Davis Jr. rattled in a layup on a drive past Peterson. Peterson had seven points early, though, including a pull-up 3 in transition, as KU led 12-7 at the under-16 media timeout.

The Jayhawks got up eight points before Keba Keita’s hard-fought three-point play inside sent Bidunga to the bench with his first foul.

The teams went back and forth at a fast pace. Tiller, left unguarded beyond the arc, knocked down a rare 3-pointer, but a botched rebound on Aleksej Kostić’s attempt at a corner 3 resulted in an easy putback for Saunders.

After Dybantsa’s first shot attempt — a fadeaway over Peterson — bounced out, Tre White battled through contact for a three-point play to make it 25-14 in the Jayhawks’ favor. Bidunga missed a pair of free throws, but Peterson dropped in another 3-pointer after a timeout by BYU.

Midway through the half, the Cougars briefly went to a zone defense, but KU stretched a run as far as 13 straight before Dybantsa knocked down a 3 to make it 33-17 with 7:22 left in the half, ending a scoring drought of more than five minutes.

Wright provided a bit of a spark for BYU at one end, but the Cougars had no defensive answer at the other. Tiller knocked down back-to-back 3s from the left corner to give KU its largest lead of the first half at 45-24 and make the Jayhawks 8-for-10 from beyond the arc in the first 17 minutes.

A frantic conclusion to the first half saw both defenses put up minimal resistance. Bidunga goaltended a putback attempt by Keita but then threw down a lob at the other end. Wright came up short on an open 3 on the Cougars’ final possession as KU went into the break up 53-33.

Peterson led all players with 18 points after a highlight-laden half, headlined by his vicious dunk. The Jayhawks were shooting 3-pointers three times better than the Cougars — 75% to 25% — at the half.

KU wasn’t insanely sharp to start the second half, but took advantage of some offensive rebounds for early putbacks by Bidunga and Tiller. Dybantsa knocked down a straight-on 3, and then Saunders got a four-point play on a shot from the left corner that made it 60-46.

With Peterson on the bench for an extended stretch, however, Tiller fired up the crowd with back-to-back dunks.

Amid “overrated” chants from the Allen Fieldhouse crowd, Dybantsa strung together some of his best play of the afternoon, scoring five straight before Saunders rebounded one of his missed free throws and turned it into two more to make it 66-53. Council responded with a much-needed late-clock 3, followed by a transition layup.

BYU rode the hot hand in Saunders, who reached 30 points with just over six minutes to go after hitting back-to-back 3s to cut KU’s advantage down to 12 points. He then connected on yet another after consecutive turnovers by White.

Dybantsa drove into the body of Bidunga for a layup to make it a two-possession game at 82-76 with two minutes left. After another empty possession for KU, Wright added two more free throws.

With the Jayhawks looking for their first field goal since the 8:48 mark, Bill Self called timeout in the middle of another stagnant possession with 1:11 to go. Council threw in a leaning jump shot to end the drought and make it 84-78.

Saunders pulled up for a 3-pointer, but a foul on Wright going for the rebound sent Jamari McDowell to the line, where he went 2-for-2.

Bidunga’s alley-oop dunk with 25 seconds left sealed the deal, before Tiller blocked Wright on a frantic layup attempt.

The Jayhawks, who improved to 16-5 (6-2 Big 12) will endure a quick turnaround, as they travel to Lubbock, Texas, to face Texas Tech at 8 p.m. on Monday night. The Red Raiders have the same record as KU after an 88-80 road loss to UCF on Saturday afternoon.

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