KU basketball preview of Players Era tournament in Las Vegas

The Kansas Jayhawks will soon take the court in this year's Players Era tournament in Las Vegas. Kansas will face Notre Dame first, but the team will be missing a key player, Darryn Peterson, due to injury. The tournament format is non-traditional, without a set bracket, and aims to provide NIL opportunities for the players.

Bill Self acknowledges the importance of this tournament for team growth, especially with Peterson out. He thinks the team has a chance to grow and improve by the time the star guard is back.

During the event, KU will also play against Syracuse and an undetermined team later in the week. Will the Jayhawks bounce back following a loss to Duke in the Champions Classic?

Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball coach Bill Self, left, chats with star freshman guard Darryn Peterson during Big 12 Basketball Media Days at Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. By Tammy Ljungblad/file photo

NO. 1: A YEAR AFTER KU JAYHAWKS’ EARLY PEAK AND MARCH FIZZLE, BILL SELF PLOTS NEW COURSE

As Kansas men’s basketball coach Bill Self was girding his Jayhawks for their game against No. | Published November 22, 2025 | Read Full Story by Vahe Gregorian

Kansas forward Danny Manning (25) looked for a hole to put up a shot in the first half as Wichita State’s Sasha Radunovich defended in the Shockers’ 54-49 victory on Jan. 6, 1987. By File photo

NO. 2: KU, IRISH MEMORIES: MANNING’S OFFENSE, TURGEON’S DEFENSE EPIC IN ALL-TIME SERIES

A men’s basketball rivalry between Kansas and Notre Dame appeared to be forming in the late 1960s through the mid 70s when the teams played seven times in a span of seven seasons. | Published November 23, 2025 | Read Full Story by Gary Bedore

NO. 3: INSIDE KU BASKETBALL’S SCHEDULE AT PLAYERS ERA TOURNAMENT — AND HOW IT ALL WORKS

Kansas men’s basketball knows it will play Notre Dame on Monday and Syracuse on Tuesday in the second-annual Players Era tournament at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The Jayhawks’ players and coaches, however, are uncertain of their final game at the unique 18-team NIL benefit event. | Published November 22, 2025 | Read Full Story by Gary Bedore

Head coach Bill Self of the Kansas Jayhawks reacts during the second half of the game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Dean E. Smith Center on November 7, 2025 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. By Grant Halverson

NO. 4: KU FACES NOTRE DAME MONDAY: PETERSON’S INJURY PREVENTS BATTLE OF TOP POINT GUARDS

Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson’s lingering hamstring strain has prevented a much-anticipated one-on-one matchup between two of the 20 candidates for college basketball’s Bob Cousy point guard of the year award. | Published November 23, 2025 | Read Full Story by Gary Bedore

NO. 5: KU’S PETERSON WON’T BE AVAILABLE FOR 3-GAME TOURNEY: ‘HE’S RIGHT THERE, CLOSE’

Kansas freshman guard Darryn Peterson will not play in the upcoming Players Era men’s college basketball tournament in Las Vegas, Jayhawks coach Bill Self said Friday.Peterson, the 6-foot-6 native of Canton, Ohio, has a hamstring strain and has missed the Jayhawks’ last three games. | Published November 21, 2025 | Read Full Story by Gary Bedore

Guard Darryn Peterson #22 of the Kansas Jayhawks dunks during the first half of the game against the Green Bay Phoenix at Allen Fieldhouse on November 3, 2025 in Lawrence. By Jamie Squire

NO. 6: A DARRYN PETERSON INJURY TIMELINE + GENERAL KU HOOP THOUGHTS: KANSAS JAYHAWKS Q&A

The Kansas Jayhawks basketball team has played in just five games, but it’s not too soon to have arrived at three big-picture thoughts from those contests. | Published November 21, 2025 | Read Full Story by Shreyas Laddha

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.