Heading into Saturday night in Manhattan, the No. 19 Kansas Jayhawks were rumored to be without their star guard Darryn Peterson. Peterson sprained his ankle in Kansas’ 75-69 win over the Colorado Buffaloes earlier this week. It was noticeable, according to head coach Bill Self, that Peterson’s level had dropped off against Colorado following his ankle sprain.
The news officially broke earlier today that Peterson would not be able to take part on Saturday, which could have understandably caused Kansas fans to become nervous in a place where they hadn’t won since the 2021-22 season.
However, Kansas blitzed Jerome Tang’s side and ended up winning by a healthy 86-62 margin, which saw five Jayhawks notch double-digit points: Tre White (13), Bryson Tiller (16), Melvin Council Jr. (17), Elmarko Jackson (19), and Flory Bidunga, who led the team with 21 points.
To make things even better after the rivalry win, Self relayed the latest news on the star guard.
“I think he'll play. You know, I don't know for a fact, I'm not a doctor, but I think he'll play,” quoted Self late Saturday night.
“That game, obviously, means a lot to a lot of people, and they're terrific, and [College] GameDay will make it extra hype, so I don't see any reason that he couldn't play. If he played today, he would have been ineffective, 'cause he couldn't have pushed off today.
Peterson could make his return after a short absecnse
Peterson is establishing himself as one of college basketball’s most efficient scorers of all time. In just 27.2 minutes per game, Peterson averages 21.6 points and has reached a career high, scoring 32 against TCU at the beginning of the month, in what was a thrilling 104-100 overtime win against the TCU Horned Frogs.
Peterson has suffered cramping issues along with hamstring tightness that has kept him in and out of the team, and has caused a stop-start campaign for the potential No. 1 overall pick, which has only seen Peterson play in just 10 games this season.
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