Unfortunately for Kansas fans, it just seems like the drama that surrounds 5-star freshman Darryn Peterson isn't going to go anywhere soon. After not playing in the upset win over No. 1 Arizona on Monday, Peterson was back on the hardwood to face Iowa State.
Bill Self reveals the moment he felt 'helpless' in blowout loss to Iowa State
However, fans were all wondering what in the world was going on in the second half, as the freshman was limited after the halftime break. Head man Bill Self spoke to the media and said he was keeping an eye after Peterson, who was sick earlier in the week and not feeling 100 percent. He also added that he wants Peterson fresh to take on Oklahoma State. Wait, what?
Bill Self said he kept Darryn Peterson out of the game late to keep him fresh for… 4 days from now vs. Oklahoma State. pic.twitter.com/r5k1feikKl
— Heartland College Sports (@Heartland_CS) February 14, 2026
The Darryn Peterson drama isn't going anywhere for Kansas basketball fans
"Probably game flow and conditioning," Self said of Peterson missing a large chunk of the second half. "I tried to sub him because, guys, he's been sick. When he needed to come out there at the end, I was thinking what do we do to give us the best chance to have success on Wednesday? That was just me making that decision."
Self can't be serious here. While Iowa State looked like the better team from start to finish in this one and the Cyclones ended up posting a 74-56 win over the Jayhawks, plenty of people were in disbelief that Peterson once again wasn't able to make a huge impact.
Self didn't hesitate in saying that he didn't look great against Iowa State, but he also went on to call out Kansas as a whole for how the group performed in this baffling loss. Everyone expected a close game between the two squads, but the opposite was the case.
Now, Kansas is going to want to flush this loss as soon as possible and get ready for the next showdown against the Cowboys. Still, with this being a matchup of Top 10 teams, the hope was that Peterson would play a large role in helping KU potentially take down Iowa State. He ended up posting 10 points in only 23 minutes of action. Yeah, that's just not going to cut it.