For the first time this season, two of the best in the Big 12 face off. Houston and Kansas will face off on Monday. Kansas is coming in off being upset by Cincinnati, while Houston is coming off a loss to Arizona.
As Houston prepared to face Kansas, head coach Kelvin Sampson had some high praise for Darryn Peterson of Kansas, according to Chancellor Johnson.
“You know, he's (Peterson) a big, strong kid. He doesn't play, structurally, body-wise like a freshman,” Sampson said of the Kansas guard. “Peterson doesn't look like a freshman. He's quick twitch, big body, strong guard, very talented.”
Peterson has been phenomenal when he has been on the floor. He has played in just 16 games this year and left games due to cramps multiple times. Still, he is scoring 19.8 points per game, with 3.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.
This will be the first time that Houston has had to match up against Peterson, but they have played some other talented freshmen this season. AJ Dybantsa had a huge game against Houston when they faced. Dybantsa scored 28 points, while adding five rebounds and four assists, but Houston was able to take the 77-66 win over BYU.
Meanwhile, Houston was able to have a little more success against the freshman of Arizona. Ivan Kharchenkov scored 16 points with nine rebounds, while Brayden Burries had just seven points with four rebounds and two assists. Still, Arizona took the 73-66 win over Houston. Sampson likely does not care how many points Peterson had against Houston, as long as they get the win.
Houston is now 23-4 on the season, and 11-3 in conference play, placing them second in the Big 12. Meanwhile, Kansas can make it a tie for second place if they defeat Houston, sitting at 20-7 on the year and 10-4 in conference play.
