Kansas Proving to Be a Title Contender Once Darryn Peterson Returns

The biggest storyline surrounding the Kansas basketball team through the first few weeks of the season has been Darryn Peterson's injury.

The highly lauded freshman has only appeared in two games as a Jayhawk due to a lingering hamstring issue that has hampered the start of his college career.

Kansas wasn't very highly rated in the preseason at just No. 19 nationally, and a pair of early losses in marquee matchups undoubtedly worried some fans. However, over the past three days at the Players Era Festival, KU has quickly found its footing.

It opened the tournament with victories over Notre Dame and Syracuse, and then capped it off with a comeback win over No. 17 Tennessee to earn third place today. The Jayhawks have completely flipped the script on their season.

Nov 26, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Tre White (3) reacts in the second half against the Tennessee Volunteers in the 2025 Players Era Festival third place game at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While head coach Bill Self constructed his current roster around players who could complement Peterson, secondary and tertiary contributors like Flory Bidunga, Tre White, and Melvin Council Jr. have shown they can hold it down on their own.

Trailing by as many as 12, the Jayhawks rallied back in the second half thanks to timely buckets from Council and an unexpected scoring stretch from Elmarko Jackson that helped KU climb back into the game.

Even behind a great performance from Tennessee freshman Nate Ament, the Volunteers couldn’t do enough to fend off the pesky Jayhawks, resulting in one of the best regular-season victories in recent memory for KU fans.

The group, as it stands, certainly has some flaws to clean up. However, there is reason for optimism moving forward.

Self told reporters after the Duke game last week that Peterson wouldn't be out for much longer, and a realistic return timeline could be as early as next week against UConn in Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas now sits at 6-2 on the season with three victories over power conference opponents. Even its loss against Duke was a tight game until the final minutes without Peterson in the mix.

Given that the Jayhawks have shown they can compete with some of the best teams in the country without their star player, there is no telling what this group can do when he returns to lead the offense. The sky is the limit for this KU team, and for those who weren't bought in before today, this game likely changed their minds.

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