For most of Saturday afternoon, Darryn Peterson’s minutes were the storyline. But as Kansas unraveled down the stretch against Cincinnati, even a rare extended run from the Jayhawks’ freshman star wasn’t enough.
Peterson’s stop-start availability throughout what is widely expected to be his lone season in college basketball has drawn more scrutiny than sympathy from pundits. Peterson logged 32 minutes against Cincinnati — three minutes shy of his highest workload this season — and finished with 17 points, but Kansas took an 84-68 loss to the Bearcats that could push the Jayhawks down the conference standings and out of position for a double-bye in the Big 12 tournament.
Peterson has appeared in just 15 of Kansas’ 26 games this season. Hamstring, quad and ankle injuries, as well as cramps and flu-like symptoms, have been cited as reasons for his absence from part or all of multiple key matchups. Saturday, Peterson took 17 shots and played much longer than he did in recent games when his limited on-court stints fueled national scrutiny. But Kansas subbed Peterson out for good at the 2:16 mark as its deficit ballooned.
What began as a back-and-forth grind in Allen Fieldhouse deteriorated into Kansas’ largest home loss since an 83-60 defeat to TCU on Jan. 21, 2023 — and the program’s most lopsided loss to an unranked team in Bill Self’s 23-year tenure.
Peterson supplied Kansas’ first two field goals on a pair of midrange jumpers, then went more than 13 minutes without a point as the Jayhawks’ half-court execution stalled. With 4:51 left in the half and Kansas nursing a slim lead, the freshman reasserted himself, scoring four quick points during a stretch in which KU connected on 6 of 8 shots.
Peterson played 17 first-half minutes against Cincinnati, one shy of his abbreviated 18-minute outing at Oklahoma State on Thursday, when he drilled a 3-pointer early in the second half before signaling to the bench, subbing out and never returning to the floor. Self called Peterson’s exit “disappointing” after that game and said Kansas did not expect Peterson to be limited.
Early in Saturday’s second half, Peterson knocked down another midrange jumper to briefly restore rhythm for a team that has grown used to adjusting on the fly when its star guard’s night ends early.
But as Cincinnati’s pressure mounted and Kansas’ execution frayed, Peterson’s efficiency dipped. He finished 1 of 7 from 3-point range and was largely bottled up during the decisive stretch, scoring just three points in the final 10 minutes.
For a team with championship aspirations, Saturday presented something more unsettling: Even with Peterson on the floor, Kansas unraveled.
For the past month, the conversation around Peterson hasn’t been about talent, but endurance. Can he finish games? Self has warned that in the NCAA Tournament, “one day like that can derail not only a game, but a season.” Kansas has survived the turbulence — even beating fellow Big 12 contender Arizona without him — but the uncertainty surrounding his availability has become a weekly variable.
Extended minutes Saturday might cool the discourse. Self has pushed back on speculation about Peterson’s motives but acknowledged Friday that the only way to end that narrative is simple: Eliminate the scenes that keep reigniting it and finish games.
Kansas doesn’t get a breather. The Jayhawks draw No. 2 Houston next before staring down projected No. 1 seed in Arizona in a week.