Bill Self Shares Great News on Darryn Peterson's Injury Status for UCF Game

For months, Kansas basketball fans have dreaded injury updates from head coach Bill Self. Darryn Peterson has dealt with a lingering cramping issue since October, one that has left an unpleasant mark on an otherwise exciting Jayhawks season.

However, the injury situation appears to be trending upward following Self's press conference on Thursday. Self informed the media that he expects a full roster for Saturday's matchup against UCF in Orlando, provided there are no late setbacks.

"Darryn has practiced," Self confirmed. "Same [status] as before, but it's at a different level now as far as his explosiveness. Unless something unforeseen happens, we should have our full compliment of guys going into the game Saturday," Self said.

Self said Darryn Peterson has reached a new level of explosiveness and that barring a setback KU will have its full complement of players on Saturday.
— Henry Greenstein (@HenryGreenstein) January 1, 2026

Self positively referenced Peterson's explosiveness, an aspect of his game that had been hampered when he was playing incapacitated. While Peterson was not officially ruled active, this is about as encouraging of an update as Self has provided all season.

The 6-foot-5 guard has missed nine of KU's 13 games, making this one of the strangest injury situations in recent memory. Despite attempting to return for a two-game stretch following a seven-game absence, Peterson once again returned to the sidelines for the final two contests of KU's nonconference slate.

His injury has been described in multiple ways by Coach Self, including hamstring tightness, a "bug," and quad cramping. There have simply been ailments that the freshman phenom has not been able to shake, and the situation was further clouded by reports that his family was heavily involved in the decision-making process regarding his return to the court.

Now, with Big 12 play around the corner, the hope is that Peterson can finally put the injury behind him and stop missing games as the calendar turns to 2026.

It is worth noting that Peterson has already attempted a return and reaggravated the issue, so playing on Saturday does not guarantee that the cramping will not arise again.

Kansas must remain cautious with Peterson to ensure he is available for the ultimate goal, which is the NCAA Tournament. Still, if everything goes right, getting Peterson back for conference play would provide the Jayhawks with a massive boost.

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