Darryn Peterson to Miss at Least Three More Games for Kansas

While there was hope that Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson would return after his three-game absence that extended into the Champions Classic, that will not be the case.

During a press conference on Friday, head coach Bill Self revealed that Peterson will remain sidelined for all three of the Jayhawks' games in Las Vegas for the Players Era Festival next week.

“We're not going to have Darryn in Vegas," Self stated. "Although, we have reevaluated, and he's right there close. But he hasn't quite done enough to put him in position to go out and play multiple games in a short span like that. So we're hopeful he's running and cutting and doing all those things while we're in Vegas, but not to the point where he's probably ready to play."

Kansas star freshman Darryn Peterson is out for the Players Era event this week in Las Vegas. https://t.co/4hgy0xLaLu
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) November 21, 2025

Kansas will take on Notre Dame and Syracuse on Nov. 24 and 25, respectively. Its performance in those two games will determine who it plays on the third and final day of the event.

Given that the tournament features three games in as many days, it likely isn't the best environment for Peterson to return to, given the lingering nature of his injury.

The Jayhawks hypothetically should have enough firepower to compete and potentially defeat both of their guaranteed opponents in the Players Era Festival. Syracuse is only ranked No. 57 in KenPom, while Notre Dame is down at No. 74 nationally.

This injury has persisted since the scrimmage against Louisville last month, when he felt his leg tighten in the second half and subsequently sat out for the second exhibition of the preseason slate.

In the two regular-season games he has appeared in, Peterson averaged 21.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists, but the hamstring injury even hindered him then. He felt the cramping in the second halves of both contests, which came against Green Bay and North Carolina.

Since then, Peterson has been held out of matchups vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Princeton, and most recently, Duke.

When the team traveled to Madison Square Garden to face off against the Blue Devils, the Jayhawks' supporting cast showed a lot of fight and took Jon Scheyer's group down to the wire. However, KU's offensive limitations without Peterson running the show were abundantly evident all night.

There is no telling when Peterson may finally make his anticipated return, but it sounds like he will be playing at 100% when he does. The coaching staff is not taking any chances with this ailment.