The top-25 showdown between UConn and Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse just got a little less star-studded-at least on paper. Kansas head coach Bill Self confirmed that freshman phenom Darryn Peterson will not suit up Tuesday night, as he continues to recover from a lingering hamstring injury.
Peterson, the No. 1 overall recruit in the country per 247Sports, has now missed six straight games. And while he’s been inching closer to a return-practicing with the team and undergoing strength and flexibility testing-Self made it clear: “He is very close.
He has worked his butt off, but he is still not 100 percent to play. He is day-to-day.”
Before the injury sidelined him, Peterson wasted no time showing why he was the most coveted high school player in the nation. In his first two games, including a high-profile matchup against then-No.
16 North Carolina in Chapel Hill, the freshman averaged over 21 points per game while shooting an eye-popping 73% in true shooting efficiency. That kind of production from a first-year player isn’t just rare-it’s elite.
But after leaving the opener against Green Bay with what Self initially described as cramping, Peterson logged 29 minutes against UNC and hasn’t been on the floor since.
Still, Kansas hasn’t exactly been struggling in his absence.
The Jayhawks are coming off an impressive run at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, where they went undefeated in a field loaded with high-level competition. Their signature win came against a previously unbeaten Tennessee squad.
Down by a dozen in the second half, Kansas stormed back to win 81-76, thanks in large part to their suffocating perimeter defense. The Jayhawks held the Vols to just 28% from deep-a testament to the kind of defensive intensity that’s become a hallmark of Self’s teams.
While Kansas will be missing a projected top NBA Draft pick tonight, UConn has already seen what that kind of talent looks like this season. In an earlier game against BYU, the Huskies had to contend with AJ Dybantsa, another elite draft prospect who poured in 21 points in a dominant second-half showing.
And UConn isn’t without its own NBA hopeful navigating the injury report. Braylon Mullins, a projected lottery pick (No. 13 in ESPN’s latest mock draft), made his season debut just last Friday after recovering from an ankle issue. His return adds another layer of intrigue to tonight’s matchup, even with Peterson sidelined.
So while one headline name won’t be on the floor, there’s still plenty of talent-and storylines-to keep an eye on when UConn and Kansas tip off. This is still a clash of two powerhouse programs with rosters built for March, and even without Peterson, the Jayhawks have shown they’re more than capable of rising to the occasion.