CBS Sports Declares New Year’s Resolution for Kansas Basketball

The first two months of the 2025-26 Kansas basketball season have brought plenty of exciting moments, particularly during the Jayhawks' three-game run at the Players Era Festival and solid wins over Missouri and NC State.

However, much of the positivity has been overshadowed by the injury to star freshman Darryn Peterson, who missed nine of KU's 13 nonconference games. With Big 12 play right around the corner and KU set to travel to Orlando to face UCF, Peterson's status remains up for grabs.

In a recent article by CBS Sports' Gary Parrish, he outlined what the program's New Year's resolution should be heading into 2026.

Kansas' New Year's Resolution: "Keep Being Patient With Darryn Peterson"

Despite all of the noise surrounding Peterson's lingering cramping issues, Parrish believes Kansas must continue to show patience. He noted that much of the discourse about Peterson potentially sitting out to maintain his stock for the NBA Draft has been blown out of proportion.

"Has it been frustrating for KU fans? Certainly. Has it been frustrating for KU coach Bill Self? How could it not be?" Parrish wrote. "But here's the truth: basketball players missing multiple weeks, or even multiple months, with injuries and issues like the injuries and issues Peterson has reportedly been dealing with isn't all too uncommon in the NBA, nor is a player, or his family/advisors, having a say in any plan for a return to the court."

"From that perspective, all of this has been more normal than it might appear to some," he continued. "But, yes, it would be awesome if it were a big college basketball story that soon becomes an old college basketball story, because we're only going to get one year of Peterson in the Big 12, and it would be a shame if the memories from it were mostly tied to the possible No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft sitting on a bench in street clothes watching a season unfold without him."

Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson (22) scored 26 points as the Jayhawks beat host Louisville 90-82 during an exhibition game at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky Friday, October 24, 2025. | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

From an outsider's perspective, this notion is fairly reasonable, but a large portion of the fanbase has reacted as if the sky is falling, and that is also understandable. When a player as highly touted as Peterson struggles to stay on the floor, rash opinions are bound to form.

While he will need to return sooner rather than later to help the team eventually build more chemistry heading into postseason play, the Jayhawks have already proven they can compete against top opponents without him. That only adds to the excitement of what this team could look like and accomplish once Peterson is fully healthy.

Hopefully, Parrish is correct, and the injury does not linger into 2026. Peterson appears to be on track to return for Saturday's contest, and if he is active, KU could begin the new year on a strong note.