We need to change his initials from DP to DNP

If we win I will be psyched. If we lose without DP I will blame not having DP. If we lose with DP I will blame the short-term chemistry issues of working him back into the lineup. Either we win or I have an excuse!

Here are the takeaways.

Positives:

1. It was nice to be on the other side of an epic meltdown after the Houston and Baylor "games" last year.

2. DP played 32 minutes.

3. DP was clutch at the end of regulation.

4. We showed that, when we play with heart, we can be a very good team (though I guess we already knew that).

Negatives:

1. This result was more of a TCU choke than a KU victory, though there were elements of both

2. We played with absolutely no effort for an unacceptably long time

3. DP is still cramping

Once again, Melvin saved our bacon. God he is good.

At this point I think it is best to just assume he is done for the year. That way we are prepared for it and if he does come back it will be a pleasant surprise.

Jamari is playing such good defense. He has been a very pleasant surprise.

Dybansta is really good at drawing fouls. Like Tre White in a Duke jersey good. We have to defend him well without getting handsey to have a chance

According to Bill Self Elmarko "got (his tendon, which was the reason he sat out last season) bumped" earlier today and "was feeling it"

I wouldn't have a problem with Sunflower State solidarity but the thing is, its a 2-way street. K-State needs to be classier as a program and as a fanbase. Their players need to not attack our players and their band needs to not arrange displays of our mascots performing sex acts.

Bill Self said on his radio interview with Greg Gurley (and I'm paraphrasing), DP had a minute restriction of 27 minutes, we played him too much in the first half so we limited him a lot in the second, he wasn't worried about his hamstring but was worried about him being sick.

@BeddieKU23 I agree. But the first half is not the whole game so Peterson can't be rated higher than other players who produced more than he did

Some day after takes:

1. Yesterday's game confirmed somethings we already knew: Council is a stud and Peterson is a shocking talent but cannot play in second halves.

2. Bryson's 3-ball may be a legit weapon.

3. The media narrative is, once again, wrong. This was hyped up as Dybansta vs Peterson. Neither one was even a top-5 player on the court the other day. I would rank the performers as: 1. Saunders 2. Tiller 3. Council 4. Wright 5. Bidunga 6. Peterson 7. Dybansta

4. Allen Fieldhouse continues to be the greatest arena in sports

I have not heard from @kuballin10 in a while. While I did not always agree with him (I rarely did, in fact), I always enjoyed how provocative his cynicism was. If you are reading this, @kuballin10 , what are your thoughts on this season heading into February?

Yeah, we need him for depth plus he increases our ceiling. He is still a freak athlete and a former 5* recruit and if he gets going he could add another dimension to our team

According to Bill Self Elmarko "got (his tendon, which was the reason he sat out last season) bumped" earlier today and "was feeling it"

@BShark Dawson subbed in and out a couple times

Damn. Elmarko was just figuring out how to use his quickness to his advantage. He was blowing by defenders in a way that made Melvin Council seem slow the past couple games. I hope his injury isn't too serious.

Once again, Melvin saved our bacon. God he is good.

@ROCKCHALK2025 You are probably right. I like Kohl and would love for him to develop here, that doesn't happen in 2026

Darryn has to be healthy and he has to be able to pass out of double and triple teams. As good as DP is at scoring, he is one of the worst passers out of double/triple teams I have ever seen. I know he has the talent to fix that, and if he does our offense will reach a new level. As for defense, it all comes down to Flory and Bryson playing both smart and hard.