Will AJ Dybantsa/Darryn Peterson Matchup Determine BYU vs. Kansas?
Jan 30, 2026, 6:50 PM | Updated: 6:53 pm
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Entering Saturday’s top-15 clash between BYU and Kansas, all eyes are on the star freshmen, AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson.
It’s a battle of two freshmen that could end up being the first and second picks in next June’s NBA draft.
The setting is going to be big, with historic Allen Fieldhouse set to host its 1000th game, and these two high-level players are preparing to add to the allure of the building that has hosted some of the greatest talents the sport has ever seen.
How big a role will a potential matchup of Dybantsa versus Peterson actually have on the game?
Kevin Young on the idea that Dybantsa vs. Peterson will determine BYU/Kansas
BYU head coach Kevin Young doesn’t expect that to be the difference in this game.
“I don’t,” Young said on Friday when asked how big the Dybantsa-Peterson matchup against Kansas is. “I don’t live in a hole. I understand there’s some talk about it. Is it overblown? I don’t know how big a deal that’s being made.
📍 Allen Fieldhouse
#13 BYU at #14 Kansas pic.twitter.com/RkrqMJXAE8
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) January 31, 2026
Young continued, “As far as the key to the game, like those two going head to head, no, I don’t think that’s the key to the game at all. I think executing our game plan, which obviously, he’s a large part of, is wildly important. But they’ve played a lot of games without him, and a lot of other guys, I think, have found confidence and so forth. Just having to execute the game plan, like I said, with him clearly being a large part of that.”
Both Dybantsa and Peterson are two of the top scorers in the country. Dybantsa leads all major conference players in scoring at 23.6 per game. In Big 12 play, Dybantsa is scoring 24.5 per game, while Peterson is fourth in league play at 23.2, while knocking down 42% of his attempts from three.
It’s well documented that Dybantsa lost some battles against Peterson in high school. Could that cause him to be salivating for revenge in this matchup?
“Not really, man. I don’t look into it that much,” Young said. “Look, what I’ve noticed being around really good players for my whole life, pretty much, is I think all of that stuff is way bigger of a deal to everyone that’s not the player. Does he want to go out and play well? Yeah.
“But I don’t think he’s going through this, and going through that, and blah, blah, blah, like he wants to go win the basketball game. Of course, he wants to play well, but I don’t think it’s as scrutinized in his own mind as probably the media and so forth make it out to be. Look, I understand it too. It’s a big game, right? In terms of narratives, I’ve had a bunch of executives say, ‘I’ll see ya in Kansas,” this and that. So everyone just knows what it is if you’re inside. But that doesn’t rule your life. You just go play the game.
No. 13 BYU vs. No. 14 Kansas
Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026
Tip-Off: 2:30 p.m. (MST)/3:30 p.m. (CST)
TV: ESPN
Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM) — Coverage begins at Noon from Lawrence
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
