LAWRENCE, KS – Kansas basketball will have multiple chances to bounce back this upcoming week in Las Vegas, but it’ll have to try to do so without guard Darryn Peterson.
Peterson, the Jayhawks’ star freshman, is not going to be available for KU’s games during the Players Era event. That includes a game Monday against Notre Dame, and game Tuesday against Syracuse, before another game later in the week. Coach Bill Self shared an update on Peterson’s status on Friday.
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“We’re not going to have Darryn in Vegas,” Self said. “Although we have reevaluated, and he’s right there close — but he hasn’t quite done enough to put him in position to go out and play multiple games in a short span like that. So, we’re hopeful he’s running and cutting and doing all of those things while we’re in Vegas, but not to the point where he’s probably ready to play.”
Peterson has missed No. 23 Kansas’ past three games with a hamstring injury. Two of those matchups ended in wins for the Jayhawks (3-2), at home against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Princeton. Another, most recently, ended in a loss in a neutral-site contest in the Champions Classic against No. 4 Duke.
When healthy, Peterson gives Kansas one of the most talented players at the college level. He’s also likely going to be a top pick in the 2026 NBA draft. To date this season, in his two starts, he’s averaging 21.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
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“He wants to be out there so bad, but I’m not going to put him out there until he feels well,” Self said following the Princeton game Nov. 15. “You can say or think we are trying to win the battle, well, yeah, we are, but the battle is not nearly as important as the long term, so to speak. We’ve got to get him to where he is not hesitant to play.”
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Darryn Peterson injury update: Latest on when Kansas freshman will play
