The No. 19-ranked Kansas Jayhawks are hitting the road on Saturday night for a showdown with rival Kansas State Wildcats. The Jayhawks wanted everyone ready to go, as they always want to beat the Wildcats, whether in men’s basketball or college football.
When the Jayhawks hit the court, though, at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, Kan., it will do so without one of its key players.
Kansas Jayhawks Player Ruled Out Ahead of Kansas-Kansas State Game
On Saturday afternoon, hours before tip-off, ESPN college football senior writer Pete Thamel reported on some college basketball news. And it wasn’t news to the Jayhawks fans’ ears.
“Kansas star Darryn Peterson will not play against Kansas State tonight, per a source,” Thamel posted on X. “He tested his injured ankle in shoot around but will not be able to play. The injury is not expected to be long term.”
Kansas star Darryn Peterson will not play against Kansas State tonight, per a source. He tested his injured ankle in shoot around but will not be able to play. The injury is not expected to be long term. pic.twitter.com/GSQ1uncjwG
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 24, 2026
Peterson, a guard, leads the Jayhawks in scoring with a 21.6 points-per-game average. He’s shooting 49.3% from the floor and 82.0% from the free-throw line. To say that the Jayhawks’ head coach, Bill Self, will miss Peterson’s contributions on Saturday night is an understatement.
Guard Tre White, at 15.0 points per game; forward Flory Bidunga, at 14.1 points per game; and guard Melvin Council Jr., at 13.5 points per game, are the only other Jayhawks players averaging in double figures for Kansas at this point.
They’ll be called on to step things up in Peterson’s absence. The Jayhawks enter Saturday night’s showdown with the Wildcats at 14-5 overall, 4-2 in Big 12 Conference play. As for Kansas State, the Wildcats are 10-9 overall, but 1-5 in Big 12 play. The Wildcats are tied with Baylor, Arizona State, and Utah, trailing the conference leaders.
The Jayhawks are two games behind the Big 12 leader and top-ranked Arizona. The Jayhawks are tied with Iowa State and West Virginia for fourth place. Ahead of the Jayhawks in the Big 12 standings are Arizona, Houston, Texas Tech, and BYU.
So, Self probably hopes that Peterson can return soon to his lineup. Missing a player of his caliber for a long period of time isn’t good news for the Jayhawks at all. For now, the Jayhawks’ head coach has to look elsewhere for some impact offense on the court.
