College basketball rankings: Darryn Peterson faces first tough test when Kansas meets UNC in early showdown
The Tar Heels play host to the Jayhawks in a matchup sure to impact the Top 25 And 1
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
Two kinda-interesting days to start this college basketball season were followed by two filled with blah -- evidence being that, between Wednesday and Thursday, only four teams in the CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings took the court, never against each other.
All four games with ranked teams featured a good high-major vs. an overmatched mid-major or low-major with the average margin of victory in those contests being 38.5 points. As I write every season, in some form, this is among the biggest flaws with the sport in November and December, how there are simply too many games between teams that shouldn't even be competing against each other. But I digress.
Anyway ...
Friday should get us back on track and provide something compelling with the most notable game originating at the Dean E. Smith Center, where Darryn Peterson and the Kansas Jayhawks will play North Carolina.
Kansas vs. North Carolina prediction, pick, odds, spread: Jayhawks face Tar Heels in showdown of blue bloods
Cameron Salerno
"Certainly playing at their place, in front of 21, 22 (thousand fans), whatever the number is, will be a tough, tough, tough challenge," said Kansas coach Bill Self. "But [it's] one that we need to go through to kind of see where we're at and hopefully learn from."
The chance to see Peterson on this stage, so early in his college career, is especially cool. The 6-foot-6 guard is among the obvious candidates to be selected first overall in the 2026 NBA Draft. In his debut against Green Bay, Peterson took 11 shots, made seven of them and finished with 21 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block in 22 minutes. I can't wait to see how he'll perform in his first road game, against his first quality opponent.
Kansas is No. 15 in Friday morning's updated Top 25 And 1. North Carolina is No. 24. The Jayhawks and Tar Heels are set to tip a little after 7 p.m. ET.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Dillon Mitchell finished with 18 points and four steals in Monday's 108-74 win over Quinnipiac. The Red Storm's next game is Saturday against Alabama. | -- | 1-0 |
| 2 |  | Fletcher Loyer finished with 30 points and one assist in Tuesday's 82-51 win over Evansville. The Boilermakers' next game is Friday against Oakland. | -- | 1-0 |
| 3 |  | Emanuel Sharp finished with 24 points and seven rebounds in Monday's 75-57 win over Lehigh. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Towson. | -- | 1-0 |
| 4 |  | AJ Dybantsa finished with 21 points and six rebounds in Monday's 71-66 win over Villanova. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Holy Cross. | -- | 1-0 |
| 5 |  | Alex Karaban finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds in Monday's 79-55 win over New Haven. The Huskies' next game is Friday against UMass Lowell. | -- | 1-0 |
| 6 |  | Koa Peat finished with 30 points and seven rebounds in Monday's 93-87 win over Florida. The Wildcats' next game is Friday against Utah Tech. | -- | 1-0 |
| 7 |  | Alex Condon finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds in Thursday's 104-64 win over North Florida. The Gators' next game is Tuesday against Florida State. | -- | 1-1 |
| 8 |  | Christian Anderson finished with 34 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 98-60 win over Lindenwood. The Red Raiders' next game is Friday against Sam Houston State. | -- | 1-0 |
| 9 |  | Morez Johnson finished with 24 points and three assists in Monday's 121-78 win over Oakland. The Wolverines' next game is Tuesday against Wake Forest. | -- | 1-0 |
| 10 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday's 75-60 win over Texas. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Western Carolina. | -- | 1-0 |
| 11 |  | Donovan Dent finished with 21 points and nine assists in Monday's 80-74 win over Eastern Washington. The Bruins' next game is Friday against Pepperdine. | -- | 1-0 |
| 12 |  | Collin Chandler finished with 15 points and four assists in Tuesday's 77-51 win over Nicholls. The Wildcats' next game is Friday against Valparaiso. | -- | 1-0 |
| 13 |  | Joshua Jefferson finished with 20 points and eight rebounds in Thursday's 102-62 win over Grambling. The Cyclones' next game is Monday against Mississippi State. | -- | 2-0 |
| 14 |  | Ryan Conwell finished with 19 points and eight rebounds in Thursday's 106-70 win over Jackson State. The Cardinals' next game is Tuesday against Kentucky. | -- | 2-0 |
| 15 |  | Darryn Peterson finished with 21 points and four rebounds in Monday's 94-51 win over Green Bay. The Jayhawks' next game is Friday at North Carolina. | -- | 1-0 |
| 16 |  | Tomislav Ivisic finished with 21 points and four rebounds in Monday's 113-55 win over Jackson State. The Illini's next game is Friday against Florida Gulf Coast. | -- | 1-0 |
| 17 |  | Labaron Philon finished with 22 points and eight assists in Monday's 91-62 win over North Dakota. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday at St. John's. | -- | 1-0 |
| 18 |  | Jaxon Kohler finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds in Monday's 80-69 win over Colgate. The Spartans' next game is Saturday against Arkansas. | -- | 1-0 |
| 19 |  | Takai Simpkins finished with 18 points and three rebounds in Tuesday's 60-59 win over Hawaii. The Ducks' next game is Friday against Rice. | -- | 1-0 |
| 20 |  | Trevon Brazile finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds in Monday's 109-77 win over Southern. The Razorbacks' next game is Saturday at Michigan State. | -- | 1-0 |
| 21 |  | Tyon Grant-Foster finished with 15 points and five rebounds in Monday's 98-43 win over Texas Southern. The Zags' next game is Saturday against Oklahoma. | -- | 1-0 |
| 22 |  | Nate Ament finished with 18 points and nine rebounds in Monday's 76-61 win over Mercer. The Vols' next game is Saturday against Northern Kentucky. | -- | 1-0 |
| 23 |  | Keyshawn Hall finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds in Thursday's 95-57 win over Merrimack. The Tigers' next game is Tuesday against Wofford. | -- | 2-0 |
| 24 |  | Caleb Wilson finished with 22 points and three assists in Monday's 94-54 win over Central Arkansas. The Tar Heels' next game is Friday against Kansas. | -- | 1-0 |
| 25 |  | John Blackwell finished with 31 points and four rebounds in Monday's 96-64 win over Campbell. The Badgers' next game is Friday against Northern Illinois. | -- | 1-0 |
| 26 |  | Malik Dia finished with 20 points and four rebounds in Monday's 88-58 win over Southeastern Louisiana. The Rebels' next game is Friday against Louisiana-Monroe. | -- | 1-0 |
