After No. 9 Kansas handed No. 1 Arizona its first loss of the season 82-78 on Monday night despite playing without Darryn Peterson, the projected No. 1 pick who missed the game because of an illness, Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd demanded respect for the Jayhawks.
“Guys, Kansas is a hell of a team,” said Lloyd, whose team hadn’t lost since March 27, 2025, in the Sweet 16 against Duke. “Let’s not make this about Darryn Peterson. He didn’t play because he was sick. They beat the No. 1 team in the country at home. They did a hell of a job, and their coach did a hell of a job. That should be the story.”
Flory Bidunga (23), Bryson Tiller (18) and Melvin Council Jr. (23) combined to score 64 points in Peterson’s absence to beat Arizona, which entered Monday ranked top five in offense and defense.
Kansas became the first team in the past 30 seasons to beat an AP No. 1 opponent despite not having a 20-point-per-game scorer.
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