He certainly wasn’t needed, but No. 8 Kansas was without star Darryn Peterson for much of the second half in its win over Oklahoma State on Wednesday night.
Peterson has long been considered an early favorite in this summer’s NBA draft, but he has struggled to stay on the court all season due to various injuries. But Wednesday night in Stillwater, Peterson looked like his old self again. He scored 23 points, 20 of which came in the first half, giving the Jayhawks an early double-digit lead.
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But Peterson didn’t last long. After draining a three-pointer from the wing, Peterson immediately asked head coach Bill Self to leave the game. He did not return after that.
“I didn’t expect that to happen tonight at all. I thought he was good to go,” Self said. “But we only played him 18 minutes. It’s disappointing because he could have had a really good night.”
Peterson finally scored 23 points and 2 assists to help the team win. He also shot 6-for-10 from beyond the arc. His final three-pointer gave the Jayhawks a 13-point lead at the time. They then led by double digits the rest of the way, winning 81-69. Overall, Peterson averaged 19.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting just under 48% from the field.
Peterson has missed 11 games so far this season and has received a lot of criticism for it. He arrived late to Kansas’ win over then-No. 1 Arizona after warming up before the game due to flu-like symptoms. Overall, Peterson missed time with a hamstring strain, ankle sprain, quadriceps issue and cramping issues.
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It was unclear exactly what prompted him to ask to come out Wednesday night.
Despite the inconsistency of their star players, the Jayhawks still have a 20-6 record, good for third in the Big 12. However, they have to face No. 2 Houston and No. 4 Arizona before the season ends, both of which will be easier if Peterson is at full strength.
But clearly, Peterson isn’t there yet. With just five games left in the regular season before the Big 12 Tournament — which should be the most competitive and top-heavy of the major leagues this March — he’s quickly running out of time to play.