Kansas loses to UCF as Darryn Peterson sits late, again

Shreyas Laddha, The Kansas City Star on Jan 3, 2026

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ORLANDO, Fla. — For a while, it felt like deja vu for the Kansas Jayhawks.

With less than five minutes to play, KU trailed UCF by nine points. Then came a dramatic run, as the Jayhawks — playing without Darryn Peterson — tied the score at 70-all and again at 72-all with just over a minute to play.

The feel was similar to KU’s overtime win over NC State. And both involved plenty of heroics by Melvin Council after Peterson missed much of the second half.

This time, the result was different.

UCF upset No. 17 Kansas, 81-75, on Saturday at Addition Financial Arena. Fans stormed the court as Kansas dropped to 10-4 this season and 0-1 in Big 12 play.

The ending was chaotic — and the Jayhawks had their chances.

Peterson sparked KU with an impressive scoring outburst, before exiting for good with 10:55 to play. It took KU some time to find its footing, but the Jayhawks eventually responded with that 9-0 spurt to tie the game.

The Knights answered with a 3, taking the lead with 42 seconds left. After KU’s Tre White missed on a 3-pointer, UCF’s Themus Fulks went 1 for 2 at the line, making the margin four with 28 seconds left.

White drew contact on a 3-point attempt and made three free throws. The Jayhawks, trailing only by one, appeared to have a chance to get a steal or foul, which would keep the margin at one possession. But UCF broke through the Jayhawks’ press and Riley Kugel was fouled while making a layup, putting the margin back at four with less than 10 seconds to play.

That essentially sealed the game.

As for Peterson, he led KU with 26 points and six rebounds. Council, who committed the ill-fated foul, chipped in 20 points and was instrumental in the comeback effort.

Peterson, who started and played 18 minutes the first half, appeared for only his fifth regular-season game in a KU uniform. He played just five minutes in the second half and eventually took a seat at the end of the bench, where he was seen using a massage gun on his leg.

For the most part, UCF held a narrow advantage, leading 44-41 at half. KU regained the lead at 59-58 on a Peterson jumper with 11:13 left, but the Jayhawks led for only 18 seconds the rest of the game.

Up next for KU: The Jayhawks host TCU in Allen Fieldhouse on Tuesday.

Until then, here are three takeaways from Saturday’s game:

Peterson shines early, but limited late

Despite not playing in a college basketball game since Dec. 13, Peterson showed no rust Saturday.

In fact, he looked phenomenal in the first half. He made several tough shots over UCF defenders and didn’t seem to exert much effort in the process.

Peterson had 23 points in 18 first-half minutes. He shot 7 for 15 from the field, including 4 for 8 on 3-pointers.

But then ... the second half.

Peterson played limited minutes in the second period. He took only two shots and finished with three points the rest of the way.

KU’s defense broke down

The Jayhawks entered Saturday as one of the best defenses in the country. In fact, opponents were shooting just 25.2% on 3-pointers, with KU’s perimeter defense ranking No. 2 in the nation.

After passing multiple tests against talented shooting teams in nonconference play, KU’s defense faltered vs. UCF. The Knights ranked No. 11 in the nation in 3-point percentage (38.9%) entering the day. Their shooting aptitude was on full display.

Time after time, the Knights hit tough 3-pointers despite KU defenders having their hands up. In fact, UCF shot 5 for 12 (41.7%) in the first half, which led to the halftime advantage.

The Knights shot 51.3% in the first half before eventually cooling. The second half looked much more like the Jayhawks’ other efforts, as UCF shot only 36.4% from the field, 18.2% from 3.

Council carries the load

If the first half belonged to Peterson, the second half was the Council show.

When KU needed him most, Council delivered. He stepped up and helped keep KU’s offense afloat. In fact, he scored 12 straight points for Kansas after his teammates failed to score in over five minutes of game time.

Council was the only reason KU found itself within striking distance in the second half. He had 20 points in the period alone.

In fact, he was the only Jayhawk to score double-digit points in the period. The Jayhawks needed much more from the supporting cast.