Darryn Peterson injury update: Bill Self reveals Kansas star's status for Princeton game

Darryn Peterson, dealing with a hamstring injury, missed the last game earlier this week for Kansas. He’s now set to miss another for the Jayhawks, per Bill Self on Friday.

Self said this morning that Peterson, still managing some kind of soreness in his hamstring, will not play tomorrow afternoon against Princeton. He also noted that the star freshman has yet to even return to practice, having not done so the last two days since missing their game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Tuesday.

“Yeah, he will not play tomorrow. He will not play tomorrow,” Self said to answer the first question of his press conference. “It’s still sore. For whatever reason, it’s still sore, and trying to figure it out. But, we don’t think it’s a long-term deal at all. But, as long as it’s still this sore, he says, and limits him at all, there’s no reason to put him out there yet. So, that’s where we’re at.

“He hasn’t practiced the last two days. I will be (concerned team-wise) if this thing, you know, prolongs. No question. But, right now, a couple of days? I’m not. Guys, he practiced the day of our game on Tuesday. But, he just said it’s tight, and it still felt tight yesterday, so.”

Self further clarified what’s going on with Peterson as well. He said he has been dealing with a tightness or a soreness in his hamstring since a play he made on a steal last week in their loss against North Carolina. But it’s also something he has been managing for a few weeks now, with that play being a kind of inflection point with it for Peterson.

“First time? You know, weeks ago. He’s played with it, you know, but it’s still sore. So, the medical staff and everybody thinks it’s something that’s healing and getting better,” Self said. “He said it’s just felt different since (a play against Carolina). Like tight, and that’s all it is is tightness…But, he’s been doing all the rehab. He’s been doing all that for a while. It’s just a situation in which he’s been doing it a long enough that he shouldn’t be feeling it at all, and he still is a little bit.”

Peterson is a massive absence for KU, with the Five-Star+ freshman averaging 21.5 points (60% FG, 50% 3PT), 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks through two appearances as a Jayhawk. That said, this is at least an easier stretch in their non-conference for him to miss in order to better recover from whatever this is he’s dealing with, as Kansas won by 31 over Texas A&M-CC and should be able to handle Princeton tomorrow inside Allen Fieldhouse.

However, Kansas is about to play six straight power conference teams over the next month from there, starting with Duke in the Champions Classic on Tuesday night. The Jayhawks will need Peterson in that stretch but are still uncertain as of now his status for that blue blood matchup with the Blue Devils in New York.

“So, you know, we’ll just kind of play it by ear, day-to-day, and see where it goes,” Self said. “Well, yeah, there’s hope, but we’re not – you know, we’ll have to wait and see how he feels. We’ll show up regardless.”