We haven’t gone through a full week of college basketball games yet, but there have been some big first impressions already.
Among the biggest standouts so far is freshman Darryn Peterson of Kansas, who came into this season with a significant amount of hype and is living up to every bit of it so far.
Peterson is the favorite to be taken No. 1 overall in next year’s NBA Draft with +125 odds at bet365 Sportsbook.
After two games, he’s also leaped preseason favorite Braden Smith as the leader for the John R. Wooden Award with +700 odds, compared to Smith’s +750 mark.
Anyone unfamiliar with Peterson has likely learned of the freshman guard this week.
He opened the season with 21 points in 22 minutes against Green Bay.
His efficiency and two-way play jumped off screen immediately and it’s clear that Peterson has a lot of professional attributes to his game at a young age.
This has prompted some lofty comparisons from Green Bay coach Doug Gottlieb.
As wild as a Kobe Bryant comparison make seem on its face after just one non conference game, Sports Illustrated jumped into the fray putting Peterson on its digital cover Thursday with the headline “The Next One” just ahead of Friday’s showdown between No. 19 Kansas and No. 25 North Carolina.
Kansas fell to the Tar Heels, but Peterson shined with 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-5 from behind the arc, and added three rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block.
The Jayhawks will have plenty of competition in the Big 12 for Peterson to contend with, but their non-conference schedule over the next month offers an opportunity for casual viewers to get a peak at the potential No. 1 pick on national TV.
Betting on College Basketball?
Over their next eight games, the Jayhawks play No. 6 Duke and fellow freshman sensation Cameron Boozer on ESPN, Notre Dame and Syracuse on TNT, No. 4 UConn and Missouri on ESPN 2 and NC State on ESPN.
With much more spotlight on Peterson after just two games, he’ll need to keep the highlight worthy performances coming to keep the hype train rolling.
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
