Darryn Peterson injury update: ESPN broadcast reveals latest on Kansas star freshman

With Darryn Peterson set to miss Tuesday’s Champions Classic game against Duke, all eyes are on when he can come back for Kansas. ESPN’s Kris Budden reported that’s still up in the air.

Peterson missed Kansas’ last two games against Texas A&M Corpus Christi and Princeton due to the injury, and he will again sit out Tuesday night’s matchup at Madison Square Garden. The highly touted freshman got off to a strong start to his college career, scoring more than 20 pointes in his first two games for KU.

Kansas coach Bill Self said Peterson will be re-evaluated later this week. As for when he’ll return, that appears to still be a question, Budden said.

“Kansas will be without their star freshman Darryn Peterson, who is missing his [third] straight game with a lingering hamstring injury,” Budden said on ESPN College GameDay ahead of tip-off. “There’s no timetable for his return, but Bill Self did say today that he’s going to be re-evaluated towards the end of this week.

“Kansas will certainly miss his production. In the two games that he has played this season, he’s put up 20-plus points. And from outside, as well, in the games without him, the three-point percentage for the Jayhawks has dropped from 42% to just 30%.”

Peterson made an immediate impact at Kansas to start the year, leading the Jayhawks in scoring in a loss to North Carolina. He had 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three-point territory, while adding three rebounds, three assists and two steals to the effort.

Speaking with reporters this week, though, Self said he did not expect Peterson to be back in the near future. Looking ahead, he wasn’t quite sure when exactly a return would be in the cards.

“We’re not obviously gonna have him, you know, at least for the immediate future,” Self said. “I just don’t know how long that’ll be.”

Peterson arrived as a Five Star Plus+ prospect the crown jewel of Kansas’ 2025 recruiting cycle. A Canton, Ohio native and product of Napa (Calif.) Prolific Prep, he was the No. 2 overall player from the class, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. He’s also generating early buzz around NBA Draft circles through the start of his freshman year.