KANSAS CITY, Mo.  — Darryn Peterson and A.J. Dybantsa sat behind tables about 20 feet apart inside the T-Mobile Center, the site of the Big 12 men’s basketball tournament, a couple of weeks ago, dutifully answering questions about their upcoming freshman seasons.

Peterson for Kansas, Dybantsa for BYU.

It was inevitable that one would be asked about the other. Peterson and Dybantsa had been ranked Nos. 1A and 1B among prep basketball players for years, their paths seemingly always intertwined. Perhaps their most famous showdown came during a Grind Session game in Atlanta on the winter AAU circuit, when Peterson poured in 58 points for Prolific Prep, hitting the winning 3-pointer in the final seconds. Dybantsa scored 49 for Utah Prep that night.

“He’s tough, man. Probably one of the better scorers I played against,” Dybantsa said, glancing at Peterson. “I take a lot of pride in my defense, but he’s just a professional scorer. He can score at all three levels, and he makes all the right reads.”

Many NBA analysts have one of these two young stars pegged as the No. 1 prospect for next year’s draft.

Yet the reality is that Peterson and Dybantsa are but two of a dozen — or more — potential one-and-done first-round draft picks scattered across the college basketball landscape this season. The loaded freshman class comes on the heels of an influx of foreign-born players with backgrounds in pro ball, and the explosion of the transfer portal, which were supposed to mean older rosters and fewer first-year players capable of making such an immediate impact.

“To me, Darryn’s the best player we’ve recruited since we’ve been here,” said Kansas coach Bill Self, whose own one-and-done history includes the likes of Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins and, most recently, Grady Dick.

Peterson is at a different level, though. Need proof? How about the 24 points he scored in the first half alone of an exhibition win at Louisville, when the 6-foot-5 combo guard was able to get whatever shot he wanted, whenever he wanted it. He scored 21 points in 22 minutes of the season-opening win over Green Bay on Monday night.

Dybantsa showcased his own potential by pouring in 30 points for the Cougars in their preseason game against North Carolina and added 21 more in a win over Villanova as Peterson was doing his thing in Lawrence.

The ceiling of this year’s one-and-done class is unquestionably high, but so is the depth.

Duke has two likely first-round picks in the Boozer twins, Cameron and Cayden, whose father Carlos starred for the Blue Devils a generation ago. You could make it three elite freshmen if you count Dame Sarr, who played some pro ball in Europe.