On Saturday, the Kansas basketball program closed out its 2025-26 regular season with a resounding home win over the Kansas State Wildcats. Darryn Peterson was excellent in this game, scoring 27 points on an efficient 10-15 from the field, to go along with five rebounds and four assists.
Peterson has been in and out of the lineup all year for the Jayhawks as he has dealt with various injuries and ailments, causing some to wonder whether his NBA Draft stock might take a hit as a result.
However, recently, Kansas head coach Bill Self made a confident declaration about Peterson's abilities to the fans in attendance after the Jayhawks' win.
“Today you saw how easy it was when he’s finally feeling good,” said Self, per Sam Lance of The Field of 68 on X, formerly Twitter.
“He can put a team on his back for two or three weeks,” he added.
Kansas fans will be hoping that Peterson is able to do just that when the NCAA tournament gets underway in a couple of weeks.
Currently, the Jayhawks sit at number 14 in the country, having finished out the regular season with a record of 22-9, and with a chance to improve that positioning when the Big 12 Tournament starts later this week.
Throughout the year, Peterson has dealt with some bizarre injury situations, at one point being ruled out of a game during warmups due to an illness, and during another game, checking himself out midway through the proceedings.
Still, when he's on the court, the star point guard has established himself as one of the best players in the college basketball landscape, torturing opponents with his lethal combination of size, athleticism, and outside shooting touch.
The Jayhawks will get their run in the Big 12 Tournament underway on Thursday against an opponent yet to be determined.
