Darryn Peterson’s availability has once again become a storyline this college basketball season, even as the potential No. 1 pick of the 2026 NBA Draft helped the Jayhawks to an 81-69 win over Oklahoma State.
Peterson exited No. 12 Kansas’ Big 12 win over the Cowboys shortly after hitting a 3-pointer with 18 minutes left in the second half. He didn’t return to the game, finishing with 23 points, two rebounds, one block and one steal in 18 minutes of play.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Kansas coach Bill Self said the reason Peterson left was due to cramping. He also said he didn’t ‘anticipate’ the issue flaring up again, adding that it was a disappointing situation considering Peterson could have had an even bigger game than he did.
Peterson has missed several games this season due to a hamstring issue and what was described as flu-like symptoms vs. top-ranked Arizona.
‘Well we’ve had it more than a couple times,’ Self told reporters. ‘And I didn’t anticipate that tonight at all. I thought that he was good to go. But obviously we only got 18 minutes out of him. And that’s really disappointing, because he could have had a really big night.
‘But one thing about it is it’s happened often enough that our guys have learned to play without him, even though that’s not the way want to play. But that’s certainly not something that we’re unaccustomed to right now.’
Self also said that it’s ‘concerning,’ and that Kansas would prefer him to be fully available for the 2026 NCAA Tournament:
‘It’s a concern. I thought we were past it, but obviously we’re not. It’s certainly a concern,’ Self said. ‘You get into the NCAA Tournament, you’re playing a team just as good as you and you need to have all your best players available, so to speak. Yeah, all it takes is for one day like that to derail not only a game, but a season.’
Self wasn’t the only person to comment on Peterson’s lack of playing time in the second half. TNT college basketball studio analysts Jalen Rose, Bruce Pearl and Jamal Mashburn spoke at length about the ongoing saga with Peterson, with Mashburn rhetorically asking, ‘why even be a part of it?’
‘I think the interesting part of this with the NIL era and the transfer portal, this has become much more transactional than we’ve really thought about,’ Mashburn said. ‘From the standpoint that, we can’t separate the conversation of them winning a championship and him going to the NBA.
‘Because it’s a transition year for him at the end of the day. If he can go straight from high school straight to the pros, he probably would have done it. That’s how I see it. They really need him to win a championship, but if he’s going to get into the NCAA Tournament, and you’re gonna load manage that part of it, why even be a part of it?’
Added former Auburn and Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl:
‘It’s a business, and I think the kids in the locker room understand he’s got the chance to be No. 1. They want him to be healthy. I think times have changed a little bit. Years ago, there might have been guys in the locker room that would have really taken him to task a little bit: ‘Hey, we need you to win this championship.’ But they all recognize it might just be bigger than that.
‘So, disappointed, and this is not the last that we’re going to hear of this story.’