Kansas Jayhawks Star Out for Massive Game vs. Duke

The Kansas Jayhawks have been one of the top programs in college basketball to begin the season, but have been dealing with some injuries. Despite that, they are sitting with a 3-1 record entering tonight’s State Farm Champions Classic matchup against rival Duke Blue Devils inside Madison Square Garden.

The Jayhawks are going to be without one of their star players, so let’s take a deeper dive into who it is and what it means for the team going forward.

Darryn Peterson is Missing Tonight’s Game for the Kansas Jayhawks

The Kansas Jayhawks are going to be entering tonight’s game against the Duke Blue Devils without star freshman guard Darryn Peterson, per coach Bill Self. This is the third consecutive game that he will be missing as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.

Peterson has only been able to play in two games so far in his college basketball career, but has looked impressive in the limited action. He is averaging 21.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 2.0 steals while posting a 60.0/50.0/77.8 shooting split.

The Jayhawks are 24th in the country entering this game, and they have been a middling offense throughout the season, being tied for 176th with 80.3 points per game scored. Peterson is the projected number-one pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, so seeing him continue to miss games is disappointing.

Coach Self did not specify how many more games Peterson would miss, but his next chance to suit up will be on Monday against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Players Era Festival.