Kansas Jayhawks' Bill Self Says BYU Is More Than Just AJ Dybansta

Kansas Jayhawks coach Bill Self has already acknowledged the magnitude of the matchup between Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybansta in Saturday's against the BYU Cougars. 

But he's also well aware both teams are much more than their dynamic freshmen. While Peterson and Dybansta are future NBA lottery picks, Self knows the Cougars talented. 

Here where his initial thoughts on BYU during an interview with Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports. 

“Love them," Self of the Cougars. "I think Kevin (Young) has done a great job in a short amount of time. They can stretch it from all four spots. They play around the big. They have rim protection. People talk so much about AJ, but (Rob) Wright is good, and (Richie) Saunders has been just killer the last two years. He is so good and he gets such great elevation on his jumper that it’s a hard one to contest. He’s making shots. It’s hard. But I like their team, I like their team.”

Here's the game preview: 

Time: Saturday, Jan. 31 Tipoff at 3:30 p.m. CST

Where: Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas

TV/Streaming: ESPN

Betting Line: Kansas - 3.5 (FanDuel)

Vitals: No. 14 Kansas will host No. 13 BYU on Saturday in a marquee Big 12 showdown at Allen Fieldhouse, with tip set for 3:30 p.m. Central on ESPN.

The day will begin with ESPN College GameDay airing from 10 to 11 a.m., adding to what is expected to be one of the loudest environments of the season. Saturday’s matchup also marks the 1,000th men’s basketball game played at Allen Fieldhouse, where Kansas owns an 877-122 all-time record and is 340-22 under coach Bill Self.

Freshman guard Darryn Peterson is expected to return from a sprained ankle and leads the Jayhawks at 21.6 points per contest and was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week last week. Sophomore center Flory Bidunga has been equally impactful, averaging 14.4 points and 9 rebounds while ranking among the national leaders in blocked shots and field-goal percentage, and was recently named to the defensive player of the year watch list. 

Kansas will quickly turn its attention to a demanding stretch after Saturday, opening a run of ranked opponents with a Feb. 1 trip to Texas Tech in its first of three ESPN Big Monday appearances.

Quote: Head Coach Bill Self On guarding BYU’s top players:

Q: How much do you have to focus on multiple scorers and not just one?

A: “In league play they are averaging 24, 19 and 18, so you cannot put all your attention on one guy. We have to guard their team. The emphasis cannot be stopping one guy. We have to slow BYU as a group and keep them out of rhythm.”

Projected Starting Fives: 

Kansas:

Darryn Peterson

Flory Bidunga

Bryson Tiller

Melvin Council Jr.

Tre White

BYU: 

Robert Wright

Richie Saunders

Kennard Davis

Keba Keita

A.J. Dybantsa