Darryn Peterson injury update: Kansas makes final decision on guard's availability vs. K-State

Kansas guard Darryn Peterson is officially out for Saturday’s game against Kansas State, KU coach Bill Self told The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman. He was listed as questionable on the Big 12 availability report on Friday.

Peterson suffered a sprained ankle in Kansas’ victory over Colorado on Tuesday. He played 32 minutes in the game and put up 16 points as KU took down the Buffaloes, 75-69. Acting coach Jacque Vaughn confirmed Peterson tweaked his ankle while speaking with reporters after the game.

The injury then further put his status for Saturday’s matchup against K-State into question as he appeared on the availability report. The final Big 12 availability report will release at 90 minutes before tip-off.

Self previously said he was “hopeful” the star guard would be able to suit up despite what he called a “severe” sprain. Now, that will not be the case.

“I don’t know yet,” Self said Thursday. “He’s getting treatment. He’s got a pretty severe ankle sprain, but fortunately, that’s all it is, is a sprain. Hopefully, he’ll be able to go and play. But we’re not at a point where we can make a decision on that yet.”

Peterson had 16 points and six rebounds in the win against Colorado. That moved Kansas to 14-5 overall on the year, including 4-2 in Big 12 play. After the game, Vaughn – who was acting coach after Self was dealing with a medical situation – praised his resilience to help lead KU to the victory.

“At the end of the day, can we leave this with an empty tank and leave everything on the floor for your teammates?” Vaughn said. “He tried to do that tonight, and the bank was open late-late-night ATM withdrawal.”

On the whole this season, Peterson is averaging 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 49.3% from the field, including 42% from three-point territory. He has also missed time with a hamstring injury, but has turned a corner since returning to the lineup Jan. 3.

Since Big 12 play began, Peterson is averaging 23.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 47.4% from the floor. His biggest game of the year came during that stretch when he put up 32 points to help lead a thrilling comeback victory over TCU at Phog Allen Fieldhouse.

In addition to Darryn Peterson, Kansas also listed guard Will Thengvall on the availability report Friday night. He is out for Saturday’s game. For K-State, three players – forward Elias Rapieque, guard Abdi Bashir and guard Mobi Ikegwuruka – are out and forward Khamari McGriff is questionable for the rivalry showdown.