The Kansas basketball team was a home underdog to the top-ranked, undefeated Arizona Wildcats before it was announced that Darryn Peterson was a late scratch due to some vague “flu-like symptoms.” The spread quickly went from KU +1.5 to KU +5.5.
It didn't matter. The Jayhawks that did show up to play worked hard and played well enough to hand Arizona its first loss of the season.
Few players have experienced the constant bad luck that has plagued Darryn Peterson this season. Kansas's occasional superstar has played in just 13 of the team's 24 games. Of the games he's played in, he's finished just two.
Yet another ailment kept Darryn Peterson on the Kansas bench
So far this season, Peterson has missed time for various leg injuries, including cramps, a strained calf, strained hamstring, more cramps, a bad ankle, and now, the mysterious “flu-like symptoms.”
At this level of athletics, star performers usually find a way to get on the floor, no matter what. The brighter the spotlight, the better. In Peterson's case, all the different maladies have kept him safe from the glare of that spotlight and protected him from overexposure. Peterson sometimes seems more averse to the spotlight than Punxsutawney Phil is to bright sunshine.
It's been just plain unlucky that Peterson has missed the Jayhawks' biggest matchups this season. He had to sit against Duke, UConn, and Arizona, getting robbed of the chance to play against the very best.
The disappointment must be wearing on Peterson. Since his incredible first half against BYU, when he showed just how good he could be, scoring 18 points, things haven't gone well for him. He removed himself three minutes into the second half of that game and didn't return.
He played 35 minutes against Texas Tech and scored 19 points but didn't have his best game. Against Utah, he saw 34 minutes but seemed disinterested for most of the game and scored his season-low 14 points. It's been nearly a month since he topped 20 points in a game against Baylor.
Kansas has a trip to Iowa State up next. If Peterson doesn't get a hangnail or get a runny nose or something, head coach Bill Self may want to wrap him in bubble wrap and slap several bright red “Handle With Care” stickers all over him.
Peterson's eggshell fragility continues to be a concern. He's not been able to play with these ailments. The severity of his issues was highlighted even more when Melvin Council Jr. was hit under the chin against Utah, had to go to the locker room for six stitches, and then returned to the game four minutes later. Well, it's not fair to compare Council and Peterson. Council is an absolute dawg, and Peterson is a…very good scorer.
It's worrisome that Peterson's multiple ailments are all worse than six stitches to the chin. Or maybe the moral of the story for young athletes is to be more like Melvin Council Jr. and less like Darryn Peterson.
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