Tomorrow, the 6-2 Kansas Jayhawks are set to square off against the No. 5 UConn Huskies in what’s shaping up to be a heavyweight early-season clash.
The betting line has this one razor-thin - Kansas enters as a slight 1.5-point underdog - which tells you all you need to know about how tightly contested this matchup is expected to be. But beyond the rankings and the odds, all eyes in Lawrence are on one name: Darryn Peterson.
Peterson, the five-star freshman who turned heads in his first two collegiate games, has been sidelined since November 7th with a hamstring injury. And as of now, his status for Tuesday night remains very much in the air. Kansas head coach Bill Self gave an update just minutes ago, and while he confirmed Peterson has returned to practice and is participating in full-court drills, there’s still one final hurdle: a medical clearance that won’t come until game day.
So, Jayhawk fans will have to wait a little longer to find out if they’ll see Peterson back in action - and his presence could be a game-changer.
Before the injury, Peterson was already showing why he came in with such high expectations. In his debut against Green Bay, he made the most of his 22 minutes, dropping 21 points on an efficient 7-for-11 shooting.
He filled up the stat sheet too - four boards, three assists, two steals, a block, and just one turnover. That’s the kind of all-around impact that’s rare to see from a freshman in his first outing.
And it wasn’t a one-off. In his second game, against then-No.
16 North Carolina, Peterson put up another strong performance: 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting, plus three rebounds, three assists, two steals, a block, and three turnovers in 28 minutes. He looked poised, aggressive, and comfortable - even against top-tier competition.
But the hamstring injury has kept him out for six straight games, and Kansas has had to adjust on the fly. After a tough 78-66 loss to No.
4 Duke dropped them to 3-2, the Jayhawks responded with a strong bounce-back stretch. They found their rhythm in Las Vegas during the Players Era tournament, stringing together back-to-back wins over ACC opponents.
A 71-61 win over Syracuse and a 71-60 victory against Notre Dame helped Kansas reclaim some momentum and confidence heading into this high-profile matchup with UConn.
Now, with the Huskies looming, the question is whether Peterson can return and provide that extra spark Kansas may need to pull off the upset. Even if he’s on a minutes restriction, his ability to score at all three levels and defend multiple positions gives Self’s rotation a different dynamic - especially against a UConn squad that thrives on physicality and depth.
We’ll know more in the morning, but for now, Kansas is preparing for one of its toughest tests of the season - with or without its star freshman.