Bill Self’s take on KU’s win at Tech — and Darryn Peterson’s ‘unbelievable ability’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Peterson hit two late 3s to erase a 59-50 deficit and secure KU's win.
- Bidunga anchored defense with nine rebounds and key stops on top scorers.
- KU improved to 17-5 after back-to-back ranked wins; next game vs Utah.
Kansas basketball coach Bill Self figures to forever remember the night freshman sensation Darryn Peterson sank back-to-back 3-pointers in a span of 36 seconds to beat a talented Texas Tech team on the road.
“Gosh dang, with the game on the line, those last two plays he made, that’s stuff you talk about for years to come,” Self, Kansas’ 23rd-year coach, said after watching the 6-foot-6 freshman drill a 3 from the corner to tie the score at 61 with 1:20 left and follow that with another 3 from the left side of the court to account for the game-winning shot.
No. 11 KU won 64-61 over No. 13 Texas Tech on Monday night at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas.
Adding to the drama ... Peterson’s clutch baskets were his only makes of the second half, one in which he played 17 of 20 minutes. That’s notable in itself since he had only been able to finish one of the games he’s played in this season because of cramps.
“That first 3 he made over Toppin (JT, 10 points, 5-of-18 shooting) and the second one off the ball screen (over Donovan Atwell) … it wasn’t like he had been aggressive at all the whole game. And then when the game is on the line, he takes over,” Self said of Peterson. “He has the unbelievable ability to raise his level of play when it counts the most.”
Peterson’s two 3s were the highlights of KU’s 8-0 run over the last 2:12 and 14-2 run over the final 5:44. Yes, KU turned a 59-50 deficit to a 64-61 advantage off that second Peterson 3.
He finished with 19 points on 5-of-14 shooting in 35 minutes. He was 3-of-7 from 3 and 6-of-8 from the line.
Peterson wasn’t the only hero in Self’s eyes.
Sophomore big man Flory Bidunga scored 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting. He had nine rebounds and two blocks and did a marvelous job defensively on Toppin as well as LeJuan Watts (19 points, 8-of-22 shooting and 12 rebounds).
“Flory Bidunga is the best defender in America,” Self declared after KU improved to 17-5 overall and 7-2 in the Big 12. Tech fell to 16-6, 6-3.
“He can guard 1 through 5. Watts didn’t score on him. Toppin didn’t score on him. That’s pretty special,” Self continued. “He was unbelievable tonight defensively. He’s learning how to not gamble and reach and lunge, and (how to) make somebody score over his length. And he’s doing a lot better job with that.
“We don’t throw it into him enough,” Self added of Bidunga on the offensive end. “And a couple would be easy baskets. We missed him a lot tonight.”
While conceding KU “caught a break” that star Tech guard Christian Anderson could not play because of illness, Self said he was “proud” of his team winning at Tech after knocking off No. 16 BYU on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.
“They hung in there,” Self said of the Jayhawks. “It was a great win. We’ve come down here a lot of times and left sad.”
Self discussed a wild last minute in which KU survived some mistakes.
Up 64-61 with 7.5 ticks to play, KU had a plan to foul on the inbounds rather than let a Red Raider fire up a possible game-tying 3. After all, Tech was comfortable bombing away from the outside — on the night, the Red Raiders hit 12 of 40 3s to KU’s 6 of 20.
Instead, Donovan Atwell, who was 4-of-13 from 3 misfired from the corner with six seconds remaining and Tech still down 3.
“Elmarko (Jackson, who played 12 minutes despite a bruised knee) let his man catch it there late, which was obviously not the game plan,” Self said. “He couldn’t foul (Atwell) because he let him catch and turn. He should have been denying the whole time. He let him catch it ... but we did a lot of good things.”
Tre White grabbed the rebound of the Atwell miss at 0:03. White, who finished with 10 points and six rebounds in 28 minutes, passed the ball out where it was stolen by Atwell, who missed another deep 3 with one tick remaining, assuring KU the win.
“We had the game won and Tre tries to make a bounce pass to Flory, as opposed to just holding on to it,” Self said, referring to another turnover by White with 15 seconds left. “If he holds onto it, they foul you, and we shoot a one-and-one and the game’s over.”
Again, the coach stressed he wasn’t complaining. “So proud of our guys,” he said of KU, which trailed by as many as 10 with 9:57 left.
Obviously, he was impressed with Peterson, whose late-game heroics accounted for the win.
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask him. I wasn’t going to give him a chance to say it was,” Self said, asked if Peterson’s persistent cramping problem was a problem Monday. “I don’t know. I don’t think he was near as explosive tonight as what he has been. So I don’t know if it’s fatigue. I don’t know what it was. But I know he elevated on those last two.”
Of Tech playing without Anderson, Self said: “Christian, he’s a pro. So him not being out there as another weapon ... even though I thought their guys played well and a couple of guys made some big-time shots, especially early. I thought Petty (Jalen, 11 points, six assists) was great to start the game.”
KU will next meet Utah at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.
“First thing is to get some rest,” Self said of his squad, which beat two ranked teams in three days.
This story was originally published February 3, 2026 at 8:00 AM.
