Kansas pulled off one of the biggest wins of the college basketball season Monday night, outlasting No. 1 Arizona in a thrilling 82-78 battle at Allen Fieldhouse. But while the Jayhawks were celebrating a statement win, much of the postgame buzz shifted to who wasn't on the floor - star freshman Darryn Peterson.
Peterson was ruled out shortly before tipoff with what the program described as “flu-like symptoms.” Head coach Bill Self explained that the decision had been trending that way since Sunday, but there was still hope - right up until game time - that Peterson would be able to suit up.
“We don’t know if it’s the flu, it’s flu-like symptoms. At least that’s what I’ve been told,” Self said. “We were hoping adrenaline would kick in today, but he just didn’t feel great.”
Peterson was never listed on the pregame availability report, which raised a few eyebrows, especially given how close to tipoff the decision came. But Self shut down any talk of gamesmanship.
“You sound like you bet on the game,” he said, half-jokingly. “But there was no ploy with that at all.”
According to Self, Peterson participated in shootaround and was moving around, but it was clear he wasn’t himself.
“We thought he’d go. I thought adrenaline would kick in and he would go.
He was out there at shootaround. But you could just tell he didn’t feel great.”
The situation took another turn when a sideline video made the rounds on social media, seemingly suggesting there was tension between Peterson and the Kansas coaching staff. That narrative didn’t last long. Kansas Athletics quickly clarified that the person behind the message in the video was a statistics worker contracted by ESPN - not someone affiliated with the program.
Peterson’s health has become a running subplot in what’s already been a rollercoaster season for the Jayhawks. The freshman phenom is averaging 20.5 points per game and has looked every bit the future star when he’s on the court.
But staying on the court has been the challenge. Whether it’s illness or other availability issues, Peterson’s rhythm has been disrupted more than once this season.
Still, Monday night was a reminder of what Kansas is capable of - even without their leading scorer. Beating the No. 1 team in the country without a player averaging over 20 a night? That’s not just impressive, that’s the kind of performance that builds belief in March runs.
And if Peterson can get healthy and stay that way? This Jayhawks team might just be scratching the surface.