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Kansas guard Darryn Peterson (22) attempts to get past BYU center Abdullah Ahmed, center, as BYU guard Richie Saunders (15) also defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Lawrence, Kan.

Colin E. Braley, AP Photo

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BYU guard Richie Saunders (15) prepares to shoot a 3-point basket as Kansas guard Tre White (3) defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Lawrence, Kan.

Colin E. Braley, AP Photo

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Kansas fans react during first half of an NCAA college basketball game against BYU, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in Lawrence, Kan.

Colin E. Braley, AP Photo

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For one half against No. 14 Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday, No. 13 BYU was overmatched and helpless, falling behind by as many as 21 points.

The Cougars did their thing in the second half, rallying to within four with 1:27 to play to give itself a chance.

BYU ended up losing 90-82, their third defeat in the past four outings.

So which is it, Cougars? Pretender or contender?

“Man, you’ve got to be consistent, and that’s the biggest challenge,” BYU head coach Kevin Young said on his post-game radio interview. “Everything we all do every day is, how can you do it day after day, possession after possession? Until we kind of learn that, we’re going to have these sort of Jekyll and Hyde-type scenarios.”

The only consistency with this team has been putting up big second half showings, but the truth of it is that the Cougars still lack a real marquee win.

“I think it (coming back in the second half) says a lot about the toughness of our group,” Young said. “But at the same time, it’s getting old.”

The top billing on the marquee for in the 1000th home game at Allen Fieldhouse was two of the country’s top freshmen in BYU’s AJ Dybantsa vs. Kansas’ Darynn Peterson. Very clearly, Peterson was the lopsided winner, scoring 18 first-half points on 6 of 8 shooting, including 3 of 5 from the 3-point line and a stunning dunk over a pair of Cougars. He only played three minutes in the second half, reportedly due to a hamstring injury.

Dybantsa, meanwhile, didn’t even take a shot until eight minutes into the first half and his first basket didn’t come until the seven-minute mark. He ended up with 17 points on 5 of 10 shooting but had little impact on the result.

BYU’s Richie Saunders scored a career-high 33 points, including 24 in the second half to help the Cougars back into the game.

“I think pound-for-pound, he’s the toughest player in college basketball,” Young said. “He’s one of the most competitive kids I’ve ever coached. It would have been nice to get a win on his back tonight, but that wasn’t in the cards. With all this talk about AJ and Darynn, I thought Richie Saunders was the best player on the floor. And good for him with that many NBA folks there watching.”

BYU fell behind by double-digits at the 11:12 mark of the first half (25-14), cowering under a barrage of shot-making from Peterson and the rest of the Jayhawks. It was 45-24 when Kansas freshman Bryson Tiller knocked down a 3-pointer with 3:27 to play and the home team eased to a 53-33 lead at the break.

The Jayhawks made 9 of 12 from the 3-point line in the first half and held a 13-0 advantage in points of turnovers to grab their huge lead.

A rare four-point play from Saunders cut the Kansas lead to 60-46 with 15:15 to play. An 11-2 BYU run, fueled by a trio of triples from Saunders, finally got the deficit under double digits at 80-71 with 4:22 remaining. A 7-0 burst, including Khadim MBoup’s first career 3-pointer, got BYU within four (82-78) with 1:27 to go.

Melvin Council Jr. made a difficult pull-up jumper to give Kansas an 84-78 advantage with just under a minute to play. Saunders missed a long 3-pointer and Rob Wright III was tagged with a foul on the same play, allowing the Jayhawks to pull away for the win.

Kansas (16-5 overall, 6-2 Big 12) is on a five-game winning streak and got a career game from Tiller, who came in averaging 8.4 points and shooting just 26% from the 3-point line. He led the Jayhawks with 21 points and made 3 of 5 from distance. Kansas had five players in double figures and shot 57% from the field.

Wright finished with 18 points and six assists for BYU, which was 11 of 32 (34.4%) from the 3-point line. The Cougars outscored the Jayhawks 49-37 in the second half, similar to a 52-42 second-half advantage against No. 1 Arizona in a loss on Monday.

“I definitely think that this is our identity, just not folding when we’re down however much,” Dybantsa said. “We don’t want to be in that situation where we’re when we’re in a hole and we have to dig ourselves out. But it just proves that we’re just fighting and our perseverance is kind of our identity.”

The Cougars (17-4, 5-3) will make another road trip on Wednesday to play Oklahoma State in Stillwater. BYU hosts No. 10 Houston in the Marriott Center on Feb. 7.