KU basketball announces Darryn Peterson will miss Saturday’s game at K-State
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- KU announces Darryn Peterson will miss Saturday’s Sunflower Showdown at K‑State.
- Peterson sustained a severe ankle sprain and has now missed 10 games this season.
- Peterson remains a projected No. 1 pick for the 2026 NBA Draft; next game Jan. 31.
Kansas basketball freshman Darryn Peterson will not play against rival K-State in Saturday night’s Sunflower Showdown game, the KU men’s basketball team announced.
“Coach (Bill) Self has confirmed that DP won’t play tonight,” read an update from the KU men’s basketball X account Saturday morning. “He tested his ankle at shootaround today, but couldn’t get loose.”
Peterson rolled his ankle early in the second half of KU’s road win over Colorado on Tuesday. He stepped on a defender’s foot and fell to the ground. Peterson played through the sprain, but didn’t look like his usual self.
Self was unsure if he’d play as of Thursday afternoon, and Peterson was listed as questionable on the Jayhawks’ availability report Friday evening. Self called it a “severe ankle sprain” on Thursday.
Peterson has dealt with a number of health issues this season, as this is the 10th game he will miss. He’s still dealing with cramping problems that have prevented him from playing more than 32 minutes in any game.
His other health issues have included a hamstring strain, a separate quad issue and an illness all since he arrived in Lawrence. Despite his health issues, he’s averaging 21.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 27.2 minutes per game
He’s still the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, according to most experts.
Peterson’s next chance to play will be against BYU on Jan. 31. There’s plenty of hype around the matchup, with fellow freshman star and likely top-3 draft pick AJ Dybantsa coming to Lawrence. In fact, ESPN’s “College GameDay” announced Saturday morning that the show will be in Lawrence for the game.
Before that, the Jayhawks (14-5) will face rival K-State (9-10) on Sunday evening. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on FOX.
This story was originally published January 24, 2026 at 1:09 PM.
