Bill Self and Kansas Should Rest Darryn Peterson Until Big 12 Play

Darryn Peterson exited Kansas' game against NC State late in the second half when his hamstring began to tighten up again.

The Jayhawks' star freshman has been dealing with this issue for nearly two months, yet the training staff has not been able to come up with a long-term solution.

After missing seven consecutive games, Peterson returned for the past two contests and scored 17 points in each. However, KU has a flexible schedule in the coming weeks that should allow head coach Bill Self and Co. to rest him until conference play.

Darryn Peterson Should Rest the Next Two Games

This week, Kansas will host Towson on Tuesday and Davidson on Sunday inside Allen Fieldhouse. After that, the Jayhawks have all of Christmas and New Year's off before heading to Orlando to face UCF and open Big 12 play.

In tune-up games similar to these, Kansas has had no problem taking care of business, such as a 31-point win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and even a three-game winning streak in the Players Era Tournament without Peterson.

Nov 15, 2025; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Melvin Council Jr. (14) dribbles the ball during the second half against the Princeton Tigers at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Considering all of the discourse surrounding Peterson's name in recent weeks, it likely would not be a good look for him to sit out more games after already missing a full month. But the fact of the matter is that the Jayhawks will only go as far in March Madness as Peterson can take them.

Regardless of what Coach Self tells the media, there is clearly a bigger issue at hand with Peterson's cramping. It is not often that an 18-year-old athlete in the top 0.01% of the world physically cannot finish a 40-minute game before his leg begins to cramp.

This suggests that he is not fully recovered from the initial injury or that there is a larger underlying problem. Either way, it would be pointless to force him to suit up for the next two games, which should be sure-fire victories.

Resting Peterson during this stretch would allow him to receive nearly three weeks of rest, giving him roughly nine weeks of total recovery time from the hamstring injury. Even if his absence extends into the first few games of conference play, the Jayhawks open Big 12 action against UCF, TCU, and West Virginia, none of whom have looked particularly impressive this season.

Kansas has a bigger objective than just getting Peterson back on the floor as quickly as possible. The program should prioritize his long-term health by sitting him now and allowing him to fully recover before the injury develops into a more serious problem.