Kansas basketball had to finish its game against NC State without Darryn Peterson. Here’s what coach Bill Self said postgame about Peterson’s status.
With a little less than two and a half minutes left in regulation Saturday, Kansas basketball grabbed a defensive rebound and started pushing the ball up the court.
The No. 19 Jayhawks led 61-59 at the time, on the road against North Carolina State. A back-and-forth game looked all but certain to be going down to what would happen on the final possession. As well as senior guard Melvin Council Jr. was playing for KU, the team could take some optimism from having freshman guard Darryn Peterson on the court as well.
But as Kansas started to transition into its offense, it wasn't clear how much Peterson was even following the play. Peterson, in his second game back after missing seven straight with a hamstring injury, made his way gingerly toward the bench and exited as a timeout was called. He sat down toward the end of the bench, looking frustrated, as the Jayhawks stared at 2:15 left on the clock and that two-point lead late in the second half.
Although Kansas would go on to win 77-76 in overtime, Peterson would never come back into the game. He’d finish with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists. And now, as KU (8-3) looks ahead to the remainder of its non-conference slate, his injury status is in question again just as it looked as if things were on the right track.
“I think he was getting tight,” Kansas coach Bill Self told reporters postgame. “I haven’t talked to the doctor yet or the trainer about it, but he said he needed to come out. So, he’s experienced this every game that we’ve played. So, I was happy that he got that far, that deep, into the game. Because it’s happened to start the second half every other game. But I think it’s just tightness. But I haven’t even found out yet.”
Considering how cautious Kansas was about bringing Peterson back, before he returned for the Dec. 7 neutral site victory against Missouri, it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if Peterson didn’t take the floor again until the start of Big 12 Conference play in January. Although KU has two more non-conference games left, Dec. 16 at home against Towson and Dec. 22 at home against Davidson, the Jayhawks should be able to clear both of those hurdles without Peterson. It’s Big 12 play, that the potential No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft will be more needed.
Fortunately for Kansas, Council stepped up to help the team beat NC State and showed just how much of a factor he can be when he’s playing at his best. The Jayhawks, should they be without Peterson for any length of time, also have the experience of numerous games already where they have learned what it will take to win without him. The problem is, KU’s long-term ceiling as a program just isn’t as high without Peterson.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: How Kansas basketball's Bill Self described Darryn Peterson’s injury
Category: General Sports
