This year's Kansas basketball team has a lot of talent, but it has been overshadowed by what is happening with Darryn Peterson. At first, it seemed like he was genuinely injured, but after sitting out more and more games and checking himself out of games, there have been more questions. Peterson is a lock to be drafted in the top three of the 2026 NBA Draft, but the noise has only gotten louder.
ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas was on the latest episode of “The Rich Eisen Show” and said he thinks some of the talk around Peterson has been unfair. Bilas made sure to highlight that he did not have character issues coming into college basketball, and he is the “real deal” with his talent. However, he did say that because Peterson is quieter, it has allowed for more of this overshadow Kansas and his play overall.
The freshman has sat out 11 of the Jayhawks' 27 games and has played fewer than 25 minutes in seven of his 16 appearances as a result of hamstring and ankle injuries, including persistent cramping.
The noise around Peterson only got louder when Peterson benched himself in the second half in a victory at Oklahoma State, Self's alma mater. It was Peterson's shortest outing yet at only 18 minutes played, sparking a cycle of national media criticism across the country.
“I thought we were past it, but obviously we're not,” Self told reporters after the game in Stillwater. “It's certainly a concern. 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. All it takes is for one day like that to derail not only a game, but a season.”
It's obvious now that Kansas has struggled to establish chemistry and rhythm while riding the will-he-won't-he roller coaster of Peterson's availability. That became extremely obvious in the game where Kansas lost to Cincinnati at home by a score of 84-68, a game in which the Jayhawks looked lifeless for most of it.
Still, the Jayhawks need Peterson to be as good as they could be, and he needs to be available in March for them to hit their ceiling.
