When the No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks took down the Oklahoma State Cowboys Wednesday night to improve to 20-6, that should have been what restarted their momentum after an eight-game winning streak was stalled last Saturday.
While there were decent positives across a team that notched four 10+ point scorers, along with a productive 20 assists, the larger picture pointed towards freshman Darryn Peterson. Peterson only played 18 minutes before being ruled out for the rest of the game with cramps.
Peterson notched 23 points on a 7-12 mark from the field with a stellar 6-10 rate from beyond the arc. However, his injury issues will continue to overshadow any production he had on the court.
“I thought we were past it, but obviously we're not”
“It's a concern, but I thought we were past it, but obviously we're not, but it's certainly a concern,” quoted head coach Bill Self following the 11-point win.
Peterson has only played in 15 of a possible 26 games with injuries ranging from the aforementioned cramps, “flu-like symptoms,” hamstring tightness, and a sprained ankle.
Kansas’ dream season may not be as close as they wish
“And you get into the NCAA tournament, and you're playing a team just as good as you, and you need to have all your best players available, so to speak. So, yeah, all it takes is for one day like that to derail not only a game, but a season. So, yeah, it's concerning, but I do think we're making progress.”
There is no doubt that with or without Peterson, Kansas can compete. Afterall they took down No. 1 Arizona Wildcats without Peterson already, along with the fact that their general steel has been tested with the Jayhawks already taking on nine teams ranked inside the AP Top 25.
Yet, it goes without saying that having Peterson on the court is a near-guaranteed 20 points. Look at his statline last night, where he notched 13 points in under the first five minutes against an Oklahoma State team that is still vying for postseason basketball.
Self has mentioned multiple times this season that it isn’t as simple as inserting Peterson back into the lineup and that things will just immediately mesh. It is something that will take time, and with five games left before the Big 12 Tournament gets underway, time is becoming more and more of a premium.
The Jayhawks will next take on the Cincinnati Bearcats this Saturday at 12 p.m. CT with streaming available on CBS.
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