Peterson, Jayhawks hand OSU fourth-straight loss — 81-69 defeat dims NCAA Tournament hopes
Parsa Fallah leads OSU with 21 points, but Darryn Peterson's 23-point, six-3-pointer night lifts Kansas to series' ninth-straight win
Statistically, Darryn Peterson missed five first-half shots.
Those watching, however, might have a difficult time pinpointing each. As the game progressed, Peterson’s point total simultaneously ballooned.
By the under-16 media timeout in the first half, Peterson had scored 13, compiling more than half of the Jayhawks’ point total. At halftime, 20. And the star shooting guard, whom a plethora of outlets project as a top-three selection in the 2026 NBA Draft, made his presence palpable.
The Cowboys fell victim to Peterson’s prolific skillset in a 81-69 loss to No. 8 Kansas on Wednesday at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Two weeks prior, they contained BYU’s AJ Dybantsa’s — a projected top-two selection in the upcoming NBA Draft — 36-point offensive onslaught in a 7-point upset win against the Cougars in GIA. Peterson’s 23-point outing, however, proved to be too much.
#OkState coach Steve Lutz’s opening statement following his team’s 81-69 loss to No. 8 Kansas. pic.twitter.com/mEYkeaSCaI
— Daniel Allen (@bydanielallen25) February 19, 2026
“You have to take ownership that we allowed him to go out there and hit all those 3s,” Lutz said. “We’ve got to be better. But he's a really good, good player."
While OSU fans dressed appropriately for the game’s blackout theme, an invasion of fans sporting blue and white attire flooded the orange-permeated venue. In the end, their infamous battle cry echoed through GIA.
"Rock Chalk, Jay-hawk, K-U."
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The Jayhawks (20-6, 10-3 Big 12) jumped out to an early 17-6 lead. The deficit reached as many as 23 at the 5:12 mark in the first half. But a 13-4 run in OSU’s favor, finalized by a last-second layup from center Parsa Fallah trimmed KU’s lead to 14 heading into halftime.
At that point, the Cowboys (16-10, 4-9 Big 12) were within striking distance. A hot start to the second half was all that was needed to be in arm’s reach of a comeback win, and perhaps most importantly, a vital Quad 1 win.
Still, it wasn’t enough. Fallah’s team-leading 21 wasn’t. Nor was shooting guard Anthony Roy’s 16. Instead, the latter transpired, and the Jayhawks cruised to the second half, clinching their ninth-straight win against OSU, dating back to January 2021.
“We just let (Peterson) get off to a good start,” OSU forward Isaiah Coleman said. “...Yeah, we just can’t let him get off to a start like that.”
Peterson’s second-half outing was short-lived. However, a 3-point shot — his sixth of the night — 3 minutes into the second half finalized his outing. In turn, other KU players contributed immensely.
Three other Jayhawks logged double-digit point totals. Senior shooting guard Tre White scored 16. Redshirt-sophomore point guard Elmarko Jackson had 14. And freshman forward Bryson Tiller posted a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double.
OSU had no answer to the Jayhawks’ offensive attack. The Cowboys were simply outplayed and outclassed throughout. The talent level discrepancy was on display throughout, largely due to Peterson.
Lutz said he forewent a zone defensive scheme, stemming from Peterson’s 3-point-shooting ability. So, the Cowboys stuck with a man-to-man defense.
Lutz switched assignments on Peterson three times. First, starting with sophomore guard Vyctorius Miller, before Roy briefly took over. And eventually, point guard Kanye Clary endured the burden of guarding the dynamic Peterson.
“At that point man, I’m just trying to find somebody that’s fast enough and gritty enough and tough enough to be there with him and execute the game plan,” Lutz said. “And that’s not knocking the other guys, but I mean, Darryn (Peterson) was obviously really, really hurting us. So, we wanted to try something different.”
Clary statistically was the most efficient in guarding Peterson, largely contributing to OSU’s run late in the first half. In the end, however, the task proved to be too daunting.
“They score (a lot) at home,” Jayhawks’ coach Bill Self said. “Tonight, they didn’t score like they normally do, which (hurt them).”
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Wednesday’s loss likely put a damper on OSU’s NCAA Tournament chances. A 12-1 start that instilled immense hope within a fan base long deprived of it has since dwindled into a distant memory, while a familiar sense of stress with Selection Sunday lingering has returned.
And while a return to the Big Dance appears far-fetched, it isn’t unattainable.
A four-game losing streak isn’t ideal. But Lutz said it can't be the focal point with five games remaining on the Cowboys regular-season slate. In turn, he said, he’s often preached a “one-game-at-a-time” philosophy to his players.
“I don’t want them to have a sense of desperation because you control your own destiny,” Lutz said. “You’re a good basketball team that has shown that you can beat (good teams). So, there’s never a sense of desperation. But yeah — you have to understand the big picture, and then you also have to take it one game at a time. In this league, when you’re playing against such good teams, if you look ahead, it’s a recipe for disaster.”
A sense of desperation likely isn’t optimal. Yet.
OSU’s ensuing contest at Colorado on Feb. 21 at 2:30 p.m. might determine whether that aforementioned sense will be ignited.
“I understand that we’ve lost a few in a row, and it stinks man,” Lutz said. “There’s nobody it hurts more than these 14 guys that are left on this team, and our coaching staff. But we’re not gonna quit. We’re gonna keep fighting and we’re gonna put our best foot forward to go beat Colorado on Saturday.”
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