Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson missed his eighth game of the season Tuesday after leaving Saturday's victory over NC State with what was subsequently described as cramping in a quad.
That obviously stinks for him.
But tucked into Bill Self's 54-word statement that was shared via social media prior to tipoff was an acknowledgement that Peterson was at, and in, Monday's practice. Problem is, the projected No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft, according to recent mock drafts from Adam Finkelstein and Kyle Boone, just felt, according to Self, a similar kind of cramping. And as any basketball player who has ever experienced anything uncomfortable in a hamstring or quad will tell you -- and Peterson has reportedly been dealing with both -- trying to push it by playing on it is usually just about the dumbest thing you can do, especially if you're someone theoretically worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
So it's unsurprising that Peterson didn't play in the Jayhawks' 73-49 victory vs. Towson on Tuesday. But, if I were a Kansas fan, I'd be encouraged by Self's acknowledgement that Peterson at least tried to go two days after leaving the NC State game late, and also by the fact that Self opted to conclude Tuesday's statement with this sentence: "[Peterson] will continue to work tirelessly, and prepare to compete with his teammates, and represent Kansas in the very near future."
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I know lots of people have theories about what's going on with Peterson, so let me tell you mine: I think he wants to play but is being hindered by his body, and, just as soon as he isn't, he'll be playing once again, and starring once again, for the Jayhawks.
When will that be?
It's obviously difficult to predict.
But KU's next game is Monday at home against a Davidson team that's ranked 126th at EvanMiya.com, and the Jayhawks' next game against a currently ranked opponent isn't until they host Iowa State on Jan. 13. So, if Peterson can return before T.J. Otzelberger's Cyclones visit Allen Fieldhouse in 27 days, that would be excellent. But the four-game stretch immediately in front of Kansas is literally the easiest four-game stretch left on the schedule, which, in my opinion at least, places no urgency on the situation at all.
Again, if Peterson can play Monday against Davidson, great. But the most important thing here, way more important than that or anything else, is getting him back to a place where he feels nothing uncomfortable from the waist down, and then watching him stay that way through this season's finish line. Because, when it comes to a prospect like Peterson, we're just rarely going to see two years of college. So, the wise thing is to do everything possible to increase the likelihood that we get to watch him in March, even if that means not seeing him as much as any of us would like in November, December and January.
Anyway ...
Kansas is up to No. 12 in Wednesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Michigan remains No. 1 for the eighth consecutive day. The Wolverines are 10-0 with a net rating at KenPom.com of +37.53. That's more than four points better than anybody else this season, more than one point better than the net rating the national champion (Florida) finished with last season, and among the reasons why Michigan is currently the clear favorite, at +450, to win the 2026 NCAA Tournament, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
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