Kansas Jayhawks star Darryn Peterson played 32 minutes in the No. 8 Jayhawks’ 84-68 upset loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday evening. Peterson had a quiet game, tallying 17 points, four rebounds, and one assist in the blowout loss.
Peterson has been caught in a storm of criticism in the national media for substituting himself in during the Jayhawks’ win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys after just 18 minutes last week.
Darryn Peterson Addresses Unavailability Woes
In an interview with ESPN last week, Peterson finally addressed the storm that his frequent absences have created among both fans and analysts. “Everybody’s got an opinion on it,” Peterson said. “But basketball is my life. If I could have been out there every game this year, I would have. If you would have asked me last year, what were my goals for this year, I would never mention missing games. So all this stuff kind of just happened, but I’ve got to deal with it.”
Peterson has missed 11 of the Jayhawks’ 27 games this season, and, as a further damning statistic on his availability, the talented Jayhawks star has played less than 25 minutes in seven of his 16 appearances in his college basketball career.
During Monday’s segment of “The Ringer” podcast, analyst Bill Simmons downgraded Peterson from a prospective No. 1 pick on draft night due to the uncertainty about his health in the Jayhawks.
“I’m not sure Darryn Peterson is going to go first anymore.”@BillSimmons and @ZachLowe_NBA discuss if Darryn Peterson’s chances of going first overall in the draft is at risk due to concerns about his competitiveness. pic.twitter.com/ZcDWEZQ00B
— The Ringer (@ringer) February 23, 2026
“I’m not sure Darryn Peterson is gonna go first anymore,” Simmons said. “Which I would have bet anything on two months ago. But there’s just too much weirdness with this Kansas thing with him coming out of games and the cramping and the competitiveness. Unless he’s actually hurt, which is now a new theory, I think teams value competitiveness.
“It’s the No. 1 thing we’ve learned from the NBA in the last few years. It’s, ‘You know what’s a good idea to have? Competitive guys.’ I think this has gotten too weird with the Kansas thing and I think there might be better picks.”
Peterson has long been predicted to be in a straight battle against BYU Cougars phenom AJ Dybantsa and Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer for the No. 1 pick during the 2026 NBA Draft. The other two prospects have been more readily available for their teams as the season has unfolded.
Despite his regular absences, Peterson is averaging 19.8 points on 48% shooting from the floor and 41.3% shooting from beyond the arc, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists for the Jayhawks this season.
