Kansas sidelined its star player! The Bill Self-led Jayhawks played their third game of the season against the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders today. But it was announced that the finalist for the 2022-23 Ohio Mr. Basketball Award and star guard, Darryn Peterson, would miss the game. But why’s that?

While the team secured its second win of the 2025-26 NCAA season without Peterson, in the post-game interview, head coach Self confirmed that his absence was just a precaution, revealing that the player had practiced on Sunday, Monday, and today. “His hamstring was tight this morning. So, I’m not going to risk that. Hopefully it’s precautionary on the reason why he didn’t play.”

“I look forward to seeing him in practice on Thursday. At least we think that’s the case, but it was tight after he practiced today. We practiced this morning at 10, and he practiced. So, we didn’t anticipate this, but at the end of practice, he said it was tight. So, that told me no reason (for Peterson) to go,” Self continued.

Earlier, the head coach had also showcased some positivity after reassuring the fanbase that they were internally confident about the player being “ok” in the long run. “He’s too valuable to put out there and create a situation out of something that shouldn’t be a situation,” Self said recently.

While this may look like a bit of soreness to many, this isn’t the first time Peterson has had to be sidelined. A few days ago, in the season opener against Green Bay, the 6-foot-6-inch star delivered one of his best performances, scoring 21 points, securing four rebounds, and dishing out three assists. But he only played 22 minutes before he was benched. This led many to wonder whether the decision was made due to the growing scoreline or concerns about an injury.

Coach Self didn’t shy away from opening up and said, “Probably a combination, it was bothering him, he said he felt it (cramps) coming on, so no reason to (put him back in).” While this decision makes sense, fans just can’t help but want their favorite player back on court.

What’s next for Darryn Peterson and the Jayhawks?

Kansas began the 2025-26 NCAA season on a strong note, but they were quick to record their first loss. In just their second game of the season, against the No. 18-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, the Jayhawks went down with a 74-87 score. In this matchup, Peterson alone scored 22 points and grabbed three rebounds. His presence is undeniably crucial to the team. Just days ago, popular analyst Doug Gottlieb dubbed him the “closest thing to Kobe” he’d seen.

While Princeton is next on their schedule, it’s their matchup on Tuesday that has everyone buzzing. The Jayhawks will lock horns with the Duke Blue Devils. With Darryn Peterson leading the team with the most points, if soreness in his hamstring continues, winning the upcoming games wouldn’t be a cakewalk.

ESPN odds give the Jayhawks only a 22% chance of winning the game at Madison Square Garden. Coach Self needs his most prized asset also because the schedule’s only getting tougher with them having to face Notre Dame, Syracuse, and UConn in the next few weeks.

With Peterson quickly becoming the consensus No. 1 prospect for the 2026 NBA Draft class alongside his competition in AJ Dybansta and Cameron Boozer, having a good college season will prove beneficial for both the 6-foot-10.5 wingspan star’s pro future and his program’s success.