Kansas guard Darryn Peterson (22) gives a look to the California Baptist student section after a three during the second half on Friday, March 20, 2026 at Viejas Arena in San Diego. Photo by Nick Krug

SAN DIEGO — In the process of carrying Kansas to a too-close-for-comfort victory over Cal Baptist on Friday night at Viejas Arena, freshman guard Darryn Peterson set some records.

His 28 points, which he earned on 11-for-24 shooting with four 3s, were the most ever scored by a KU freshman in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Bill Self; they were also the most by a KU freshman in a tournament debut.

“I didn’t know that was even a record,” Peterson said, “but it’s pretty cool to be able to do that.”

The freshman from Canton, Ohio, missed his first six shots but scored seven straight points on his own to close the first half. He was a big reason why KU survived the Lancers’ second-half onslaught, as he was responsible for five of the Jayhawks’ 12 made field goals in the final 20 minutes, including all of their 3-pointers as his teammates combined to go 0-for-7 from beyond the arc.

Somewhat surprisingly, the 28 points were also his second-highest total of what will be his lone season as a Jayhawk. His career high remains 32 on Jan. 6 in an overtime game against TCU (although he did not play in the extra period).

HIGH PRAISE FOR DANIELS

Self had already been impressed with Cal Baptist guard Dominique Daniels Jr. before seeing him firsthand, calling him a “competitive pit bull that can score the ball” and praising him for his loyalty for remaining at CBU.

On Friday, after seeing Daniels rally the Lancers late, he doled out a comparison to one of KU’s modern greats.

“If you guys remember a kid we had several years ago, he’s a little taller than Dominique and didn’t play quite as downhill, but he reminds me of Frank (Mason III) a lot,” Self said. “I think Frank was more efficient, but I think Dominique was stronger and could get his own shot better than Frank.”

As Self noted, Mason was a national player of the year in 2017. Daniels won’t have that sort of honor in his future, as he exhausted his collegiate eligibility on Friday following the conclusion of his third season with the Lancers. But he certainly left a mark on the 2026 NCAA Tournament with his dazzling 20 second-half points, including four 3s, to bring CBU within striking distance in the final minutes after it had trailed by as many as 26 points.

“I feel like he’s seen every defense possible, so we couldn’t just do one man guarding him,” senior forward Tre White said. “Try to have the whole team try to load up against him. And he still went on a good run. Kudos to us towards the end. We kind of pulled it together. But he’s a great player.”

CHANCE MEETING

Peterson has crossed paths with the next coach who will be charged with slowing him down: Rick Pitino of St. John’s. The two met in an elevator in Las Vegas during the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas over Thanksgiving, Peterson said on Friday.

“I introduced myself,” he said. “I’m a fan of him. He (is) like a legend. It’ll be good to play against him.”

This will be just the second-ever meeting between Hall of Famers Pitino and Bill Self. The last one was a 96-83 victory for KU over Pitino’s Iona Gaels on Nov. 28, 2021, at the ESPN Events Invitational in Kissimmee, Florida.

Self said after KU received its draw on Selection Sunday that he thinks Pitino is “as good as our business has.”

“That’s our job as his players, to help him get a win over another legend,” Peterson said.

The Jayhawks and Red Storm will meet at Viejas Arena at 4:15 p.m. Central time on Sunday.

CALDERON COMING BACK

KU freshman forward Samis Calderon, who has played in 15 games this season, was not with the team for Friday’s game against Cal Baptist.

The Brazil native had made the trip to San Diego with the Jayhawks, but he had to leave to be with his family after the death of his father, Luis Calderon of El Paso, Texas, according to a KU spokesperson.

Calderon was expected to return to San Diego on Saturday, the spokesperson said.