Kansas Jayhawks coach Bill Self is just like everyone else. 

He is anxious to see freshman stars Darryn Peterson of Kansas go against BYU's AJ Dybantsa Saturday in their first Big 12 matchup. They are the top two players in the 2025 recruiting class. Both are expected to be picked among at least the top five in the June NBA Draft. 

"First of all, that storyline is, everybody will run with it," Self said during an interview with Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. "And they should. It's two great, great prospects. I mean, two of the better prospects we've had in recent memory. They're really great prospects but it's still Kansas versus BYU."

This marks the first time the players have met since they faced each other in high school. In that game, Peterson outplayed Dybantsa. It caused many recruiting analyst to place Peterson higher on the NBA draft board. 

Neither has disappointed this season. Peterson is averaging 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists despite dealing with injuries most of the year. The 6-foot-9 Dybantsa is at 23.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game

"The players that understand that and can play to that will give the team the best chance to win," Self said. "This isn't a one-one-deal. This is a team versus team deal. It'll be a storyline within the game. It'll be fun. Whoever handles it most maturely will have the best chance to have some success." 

PETERSON EXPECTED TO PLAY SATURDAY 

While Peterson was held out Saturday night in the Sunflower Showdown vs. Kansas State, Self he expects the star freshman in the lineup against BYU. 

“I think he’ll play,” Self said postgame. “I don’t know for a fact, I’m not a doctor, but I think he’ll play. That game will obviously mean a lot to a lot of people, and they’re terrific, and GameDay will make it extra hype.”

Self added that Peterson would not have been effective if he had tried to go in Manhattan.

“If he played today, he would have been ineffective because he couldn’t have pushed off today,” Self said.

Kansas is set to host BYU in Lawrence on Saturday in a nationally spotlighted matchup. ESPN's College Gameday will be in Lawrence for the matchup. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. CST, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN. 

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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of JayhawksRoundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com