Kansas basketball loses to Arizona on the road

Shreyas Laddha, The Kansas City Star on Feb 28, 2026

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TUSCON, Ariz. — For a moment in time, the improbable Kansas comeback seemed possible.

Star freshman Darryn Peterson hit an array of shots that reminded everybody inside McKale Center why he’s the potential No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft.

After trailing by as many as 18 points in the first half, KU clawed within two on a jumper from Melvin Council. And there was still plenty of time to go.

For the first time all game, there was a palpable sense of tension from a rowdy Arizona crowd. The Jayhawks had the momentum and a chance to hand Arizona a shocking home loss as a heavy favorite.

Instead, in what felt like the blink of an eye, Arizona regained control and blew out the Jayhawks. The No. 2 Wildcats defeated No. 14 Kansas 84-61 on Saturday afternoon.

The Jayhawks (21-8, 11-5 Big 12) split the season series with the Wildcats.

Peterson finished with 24 points and five rebounds. Council and Tre White added 13 points each.

KU big man Flory Bidunga struggled through a rough performance, scoring two points (1-for-5 shooting) with just four rebounds in 32 minutes.

All five Arizona starters scored in double figures. Brayden Burries led the way with 20 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.

Up next for KU: Kansas travels to Tempe, Ariz., to play Arizona State on Tuesday.

Until then, here are four takeaways from Saturday’s game ...

KU is outhustled and outmuscled

It’s not often the Jayhawks look as bad on defense as they did Saturday afternoon. And that extended to the rebounding battle, too.

KU’s interior defense was ineffective from the onset.

Freshman Bryson Tiller picked up two quick fouls and the slew of replacements who played extra minutes — from guards Jamari McDowell and Kohl Rosario to big man Paul Mbiya — didn’t offer much resistance.

McDowell and Rosario didn’t have the strength to defend in the post. And even KU big man Bidunga was struggling to stop Arizona from scoring inside. The Wildcats (27-2, 14-2 Big 12) had 24 points in the paint at halftime.

In the last matchup between the sides, KU surrendered 42 total paint points.

The Wildcats made a few 3-pointers in the second half, and they also muscled their way to the foul line, shooting 26 free throws in the period.

Then there was the rebounding battle. Arizona won that area 48-26 with a 14-9 advantage in offensive rebounds. Arizona scored 16 second-chance points to KU’s eight.

The Jayhawks’ offense never clicks

The Jayhawks’ offense was hard to watch in the first half.

Arizona held Kansas to just nine made field goals on 29% shooting (9 for 31) in the period. The Jayhawks shot just 25% from 3 in that time.

Arizona’s defense did an impressive job blocking off lanes to the paint while still closing out to shooters. The result? A lot of awkward jump shots in the mid-range. Few of them went in.

Peterson sparked a brief second-half rally, when the Jayhawks’ offense appeared to pick up. But Kansas finished the game shooting just 34.4% from the field.

Peterson wills a brief rally

The box score won’t showcase how impressive Peterson was against Arizona, particularly after he struggled through an ugly first-half shooting performance.

And for the game, he shot just 8 for 21 (38%) to get to his 24 points.

Even so, he nearly willed KU back in front after the Jayhawks fell behind by 18 in the first half. Peterson, who shot 3 for 11 in the period, scored 10 points in the first 6:19 of the second half. The Jayhawks pulled within two on a Melvin Council basket just before the 12-minute mark.

Peterson also competed on defense, and it appeared the freshman was moving better on both ends of the court than in recent weeks.

While his percentages have dipped — Peterson has shot 42% or worse in six of his last seven games — this game did seem to be a bit of a turning point.

Even if Arizona eventually regained control and pushed its lead to 20-plus.

Arizona clinches share of Big 12 title

One team walked off the court having clinched a share of the Big 12 title. Another walked off being eliminated from the race entirely.

Heading into Saturday, the Jayhawks were tied with Houston, Iowa State and Texas Tech for second in the Big 12 standings. They all had four losses.

Now, the Jayhawks (11-5) are three games behind the first-place Wildcats (14-2) with only two regular-season games left. They are tied for fourth with Iowa State.

Texas Tech and Houston are tied for second at 12-4.

So what’s left to play for? A better seed in the Big 12 tournament — and March Madness, too.

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