The Kansas Jayhawks are back in the win column as they played a stellar game against No. 5 Houston after coming off an upsetting loss against Cincinnati. Head coach Bill Self even went and addressed the student section the day of the Houston game to apologize for the way the team played against the Bearcats.
This team is really starting to come together, even amid the drama surrounding star player Darryn Peterson and his availability. Even with all the chaos it is causing for the team, Self has found a way to look on the bright side of the whole situation and praised his team for being able to play through it after the win against Houston.
"Even playing without DP so much, I think in many ways it's forced our other guys to grow up," Self said in an interview with Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter. "So, our ceiling is still well in front of us."
"Even playing without DP so much, I think in many ways it's forced our other guys to grow up."
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 24, 2026
Bill Self joined @notthefakeSVP after Kansas' big win over No. 5 Houston 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ycTHog9KMK
Self knows that the more this team plays together with all the guys on the court, the better they are going to get. Self believes they still have a big gap between where they are now and where they can be.
Darryn Peterson drama has forced others to step up at Kansas
With Darryn Peterson being out at times this season, the team wasn't able to fully rely on him and his talent on the court, forcing others to step up. Other players like Melvin Council Jr. and Flory Bidunga have really taken charge on the court adn stepped up their game.
Bidunga has improved tremendously from last season, when he was barely on the court for half the game. Council has come in his first season at Kansas and showed he had the talent to play at this level all along.
While the Peterson drama isn't something a team wants to deal with, it has shown that there are other stars on the court in Lawrence that aren't named Darryn Peterson.