St. John's must overcome Kansas' Darryn Peterson, the potential No. 1 pick in NBA draft, to advance in NCAA Tournament

Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News on Mar 21, 2026

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There is a reason why nearly a third of the NBA is tanking.

This year’s NBA draft is historically deep, and cellar-dwelling teams are doing whatever it takes to position themselves to land one of these franchise-changing talents.

And while every analyst’s prospect rankings differ, there is one player whose name is most frequently listed atop draft big boards: Darryn Peterson.

Peterson, a 6-6 freshman guard for the Kansas Jayhawks, is a prolific three-level scorer who has earned comparisons as flattering as Devin Booker and as ambitious as Kobe Bryant.

But more immediately, Peterson is the biggest roadblock in the way of fifth-seeded St. John’s, which is set to face fourth-seeded Kansas on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Peterson, 19, made his Big Dance debut in Friday night’s 68-60 win over 13th-seeded California Baptist, scoring a game-high 28 points on 11-of-24 shooting, including 4-of-11 shooting on 3-pointers.

After missing his first six shots, Peterson showcased his tantalizing talent with six baskets in just over 10 minutes — including an off-balance, buzzer-beating 3-pointer going into halftime.

“My coaches are telling me to keep shooting,” Peterson said afterward. “My teammates were [too], so their confidence helped me out.”

Peterson became the first Kansas freshman to score at least 20 points in his first NCAA Tournament game — a feat even the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Paul Pierce or Joel Embiid never accomplished.

“Seeing it every day, I’m not shocked,” teammate Tre White said. “This is what he does. It was kind of my job and our job as a team to get him going early. And you see what he can do whenever he gets hot.”

Peterson averages 20.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting 38.2% on 3-pointers. The high degree of difficulty on many of his baskets has turned Peterson into a staple of sports highlight shows.

Debates will rage between now and June 25 over whether Peterson, Duke’s Cameron Boozer or BYU’s AJ Dybantsa should be the first player drafted that night at Barclays Center.

But for all of the highs, Peterson has experienced his share of lows this year, too.

A litany of health issues, including persisting cramps, limited Peterson’s availability throughout the season. He was notably a late scratch with flu-like symptoms on Feb. 9 before Kansas dealt then-top-ranked Arizona its first loss of the season.

All told, Peterson has appeared in only 23 games, or about two-thirds of Kansas’ 34. Some have questioned how much Peterson cares.

But Peterson has a chance to change that narrative this March, and his historic performance Friday was a solid first step.

Of course, mid-major California Baptist is not St. John’s, which boasts the 11th-most-efficient defense in the country, according to the analytics website KenPom.

The Johnnies have not allowed an opponent to eclipse 72 points in any of their last 11 games, and they just limited UConn freshman Braylon Mullins — another potential lottery pick — to five points on 2-of-9 shooting in last weekend’s Big East Tournament final.

But St. John’s is also yet to face a talent like Peterson, which makes Sunday’s win-and-advance affair at San Diego’s Viejas Arena all the more compelling.