Darryn Peterson's Cramping: Can Kansas Withstand His Premature Exits?

Kansas basketball's 90-82 victory over BYU on Saturday evening was one of the most exhilarating games in recent Jayhawk history. The Allen Fieldhouse crowd showed out for ESPN's College GameDay, and the Jayhawks delivered a masterful performance in the first half.

While the outcome appeared to be trending toward a blowout when KU led by as many as 21 points, BYU closed the gap late in the second half. Suddenly, the Cougars were within four points with just a minute to go and nearly pulled off an improbable comeback.

Bill Self's secondary and tertiary options were excellent all night, but missing Darryn Peterson down the stretch clearly hurt the Jayhawks' offense. A season-high 53 points in the first half dwindled to just 28 in the first 19 minutes of the second — and a lot of it can be attributed to the never-ending cramping issues that have hampered Peterson's entire freshman year.

Peterson has yet to truly finish a game this season, having been subbed out in all 11 of his appearances before the final few minutes, apart from a brief 10-second stretch against TCU. KU was able to withstand the comeback attempt this time, but the larger question remains whether this team can continue to win without its best player late in games and still be a real threat in the NCAA Tournament.

Darryn Peterson's Cramping Continues to Plague Kansas

It is difficult to leave this game with many negative takeaways, but if there is one lingering concern, it is Peterson's availability late in games. Fans have seen this pattern repeatedly.

In critical moments against NC State, TCU, and UCF, Peterson was unavailable down the stretch. Players like Melvin Council Jr. and Flory Bidunga were forced to take control and create offense on their own.

The issue is that without Peterson, Kansas does not possess a true championship-caliber roster. While the Jayhawks have pulled off impressive wins with him sidelined, the ceiling of this team is directly tied to how deep Peterson can take them.

His scoring ability and the defensive attention he commands are irreplaceable. That value diminishes if he cannot be on the floor when the game is on the line.

Even with Peterson limited to roughly 25 minutes per game give or take, KU has opened conference play with a 6-2 record. The potential upside is unmistakable if he can stay healthy and finish games alongside his teammates.

The reality, though, is that this luck may run out in March. A core built around Bidunga, Council, and Tre White is certainly not enough to push Self and Co. past elite competition in the NCAA Tournament. All a good team needs is four or five minutes with Peterson on the bench to turn around the momentum and flip the script in its favor.

Until Peterson proves he can handle a full 40-minute workload, calling KU a legitimate national title contender may be premature. If it did not happen in the biggest game of his life against his NBA Draft rival in AJ Dybantsa, it is fair to wonder whether it ever will in Lawrence.