The drama surrounding the Kansas Jayhawks has been at an all-time high the past week, ever since star freshman Darryn Peterson came out of the second half against Oklahoma State yet again due to cramping. The drama around Peterson's unreliability to be in a full game spread like wildfire.
The Jayhawks had almost a whole week to prepare for a matchup against a 14-12 Cincinnati team that has had its fair share of struggles this season. It felt like everything was moving the right way for Kansas with a home game against Cincinnati on the docket and a big win over Oklahoma State earlier in the week. However, that could not be more wrong.
The Jayhawks simply could not find a way to get a solid lead over the Bearcats, and with roughly five minutes left in the game and down 66-60, Kansas found no answer for Cincinnati and ended up losing 84-68.
Peterson was able to play 32 minutes for the Jayhawks, breaking the narrative that he can't play full games. He was also just one point away from leading the team in scoring with 17 points, four rebounds, and one assist. However, fans are worried about his ability to score, and they are worried about his not being a team player.
Photo of Daryn Peterson outside of team huddle is a bad look for the star freshman
Late in the second half, a photo was taken after a called foul, and Peterson was speaking with head coach Bill Self on the sideline as the rest of the team huddled under the basket. Peterson was walking to join the huddle, but his team was waving for him to hurry up. Instead, the guard chose to walk with his head down, seeming to ignore his teammates.
Look since I’m seeing this photo all over, I’ll provide the context. Team had huddled. Bill and DP had been talking quite a bit back and forth. DP was frustrated with game and refs. He didn’t see huddle and was on other side. Guys were motioning for him to hustle back and join… https://t.co/i0eVuZlnmw
— Jayhawk Talk (@JayhawkTalk) February 21, 2026
This is a bad look for Peterson, who is already being questioned as a team player. This photo makes it look like he just doesn't care about being with this team, and his mind is already on the 2026 NBA Draft.
At this point, it is no longer a problem everyone else is noticing; it seems to be a problem Peterson's teammates are taking note of as well. This is a team that, a couple of weeks ago, looked like they could contend for a National Championship, but now they have too much drama going on to even focus on the game.