A 104-point outburst at Allen Fieldhouse puts Kansas' boom-or-bust season in focus

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Darryn Peterson tried to steal the show from Tre White and Melvin Council Jr. on Senior Day at Kansas.

Turned out they all shared in the spotlight.

Peterson, the freshman sensation and potential No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, poured in 27 points while going 10 of 15 from the field and hitting Flory Bidunga for a series of ally-oop dunks. White contributed 23 points and 11 rebounds in his final game at Allen Fieldhouse, while Council merely had 17 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists in his last game at the Phog.

It added up to a 104-85 rout of Kansas State on Saturday that underscored the vast potential No. 14 Kansas carries into the postseason.

"I think that was the point: We saw the ball go in the hole," Jayhawks coach Bill Self said. “Everybody got a chance to play, all of that stuff. We still didn't guard; we have to be better at that. But we needed to have a win. It was a good afternoon for us.”

Good?

The Jayhawks shot 59% from the field against the Wildcats. They had a 45-28 rebounding advantage and dished out 23 assists.

Those kinds of numbers can mask a lot of ills.

“I don't know that you always have to have all five playing well, but you have to have all five playing together,” Self said. “The last two games we've played, even though there weren't as many open looks, we shot the ball miserably. So it was good to see it go in.”

Indeed, there are few teams more boom-or-bust than the Jayhawks have been this season.

At their best, they're the team that beat Tennessee on a neutral floor, sent Iowa State and Arizona to their first losses of the season, beat BYU and Texas Tech in a three-day span, and dealt Houston a humbling 69-56 defeat a couple of weeks ago.

At their best.

At their worst, the Jayhawks have looked like a discombobulated mess, losing to UCF, Cincinnati and Arizona State during an up-and-down Big 12 slate, dropping the rematch at Arizona by more than 20, and losing four of their last six heading into Saturday.

Perhaps some of that inconsistency came from Peterson's inconsistent availability. One of the school's most heralded recruits missed time throughout the season with cramping issues and other injuries, and even missed a game while battling the flu.

Yet the 6-foot-6 guard seems to be hitting his stride at just the right time.

“I'm feeling good,” Peterson said. "Perfect timing as we go into the Big 12 Tournament and the NCAA. I'm feeling the best I've felt.”

It seems so are the rest of the Jayhawks.

White, the transfer from Illinois, showed against Kansas State the kind of inside-outside versatility that has made him so invaluable this season. He was 5 of 9 from beyond the arc against the Wildcats, yet White also had a game-high in rebounds.

“We're not trying to be too high or too low,” he said. “We handle our principles we should be handling our business.”

Council, who arrived from St. Bonaventure, came up two rebounds shy of a triple-double on Saturday. He has proven to be a scorer (36 points in a win over NC State), distributor (12 assists against Kansas State in January) and the heart and soul of the operation.

One season at Kansas left such an impression on Council that he kissed the big Jayhawk logo at center court on Saturday.

Throw in Bidunga, one of the premier interior defenders in college hoops, and the Jayhawks have a quartet that is every bit as good as anybody else in the country, and one that has the potential — operative word — to carry them deep into the NCAA Tournament.

“What goes through my mind,” Peterson said: “Let's go win a championship.”