Kansas Upsets No. 1 Arizona Without Star Player

Summary:

• The Kansas Jayhawks beat No. 1 Arizona Wildcats despite the flu preventing Darryn Peterson from playing.
• Flory Bidunga, Bryson Tiller, and Melvin Council Jr. combined for 64 points.
• Coach Bill Self praised the team’s aggressiveness and credited the raucous Allen Fieldhouse crowd for the win

The Kansas Jayhawks (No. 9) pulled off a stunning upset Monday night, handing No. 1 Arizona Wildcats its first loss of the 2025-26 Big 12 Basketball Conference season, 82-78, even without their star player Darryn Peterson, who missed the game due to illness.

Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd was quick to credit the Jayhawks for their performance.

Guys, Kansas is a hell of a team. Let’s not make this about Darryn Peterson. He didn’t play because he was sick. They beat the No. 1 team in the country at home. They did a hell of a job, and their coach did a hell of a job. That should be the story.

Flory Bidunga led Kansas with 23 points, matched by Melvin Council Jr., while Bryson Tiller added 18. The trio accounted for 64 of the team’s points, carrying the Jayhawks past an Arizona team ranked among the nation’s top five in both offense and defense.

Remarkably, Kansas became the first team in 30 years to beat a No. 1 AP-ranked opponent without a 20-point-per-game scorer on the roster.

Peterson, the projected No. 1 pick, had flown to Lawrence amid scouts and NBA executives eager to see him, but his flu-like symptoms kept him from playing. Coach Bill Self said he had hoped adrenaline might push Peterson through, but it wasn’t enough.

I went into the training room, he’s in there trying, and I said, Can you?.. He said, ‘Coach, I don’t think I can’…I would rather him not play than struggle to contribute. He tried, but he just couldn’t get there.

Kansas has faced similar challenges this season, with Peterson missing 11 games and playing limited minutes in several others. Yet the team has proven resilient, rallying without him to beat Notre Dame, Syracuse, and Tennessee earlier in the season.

Bidunga emphasized the team’s focus despite the absence of their star. “We still have a job to do. We still have to compete”. The Jayhawks trailed by 11 early in the second half but outscored Arizona 38-23 over the final 17 minutes.

Self said the win showed Kansas isn’t better without Peterson, but it is more assertive. “We’ve played more aggressively individually when he’s not in the game” he said. The sellout crowd at Allen Fieldhouse, reaching decibel levels comparable to a jet engine, helped fuel that energy.

With the victory, Self improved to 83-15 at home against ranked opponents, reinforcing that Allen Fieldhouse remains one of college basketball’s toughest venues to visit.