Kansas guard Darryn Peterson led the Jayhawks to their second consecutive Big 12 win on Friday evening when they beat the Baylor Bears 80-62 to improve to 13-5. In only 23 minutes of action, Peterson tallied 26 points, two rebounds, and three assists while shooting at an astonishing 84.6% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc.
Peterson has played in only 9 of 18 games for the Jayhawks due to a hamstring injury and persistent cramping, but when he has been healthy, Kansas has looked like a polished team capable of challenging for the Big 12 and national titles.
Darryn Peterson Shrugs Off Injury Woes To Carry Kansas
Peterson was instrumental in the Jayhawks beating the previously undefeated No. 2 Iowa State Cyclones on Wednesday, reviving their season that looked in danger of derailing last week. The discourse surrounding Peterson’s injury has varied from shutting him down for the season to some fans questioning his commitment to Kansas before draft night.
During his postgame news conference after the win against Baylor, Kansas coach Bill Self addressed the team’s aggressiveness when Peterson was absent and how his teammates are learning to play with him.
“It’s only about half time, what did he play, 19 minutes today? Where he was on the court, healthy,” Self said. “Tonight, he scored. The last two games, he didn’t score against Iowa State, others were aggressive. Tonight, I actually thought the others weren’t as aggressive shooting the ball. We did a better job of looking for him because he was on a heater.”
“That was fun to watch. That was impressive. When he wasn’t in the game, the other guys were aggressive, and even when he was in the game after the initial push, the other guys were aggressive. I think that’s the biggest thing is they’re kind of learning how to play off each other and not take away from somebody else’s skill-set…”
The debate about which prospect in the NBA Draft class of 2026 would be the No. 1 pick has centered around Peterson, BYU Cougars’ AJ Dybantsa, and Duke Blue Devils star Cameron Boozer. While Dybantsa and Boozer are playing with more talented teammates and haven’t had to deal with injuries, Peterson has dragged Kansas to big wins by himself.
Despite his persistent injury woes, Peterson is averaging 22.2 points on 50.4% shooting from the floor and 40.6% shooting from beyond the arc, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists for the Jayhawks this season.
In the next few weeks, Peterson will come up against some of the best teams in the country when the Jayhawks face the No. 15 Texas Tech Red Raiders, No. 11 BYU Cougars, No. 2 Iowa State Cyclones, and the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats.
If the Jayhawks are to make a splash in the Big 12 tournament and NCAA Tournament, they will need Peterson to be fit and firing.
