Darryn Peterson misses game against Arizona because of illness - ESPN

LAWRENCE, Kan. — No. 9 Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, the projected No. 1 overall pick in this summer's NBA draft, missed Monday's game against No. 1 Arizona because of illness, the team announced before tipoff.

«Darryn [Peterson] won't play tonight,» a Kansas spokesperson told ESPN before the game. «He has flu-like symptoms. He went out with the team for warmups but can't go.»

Peterson, who has missed 10 games this season because of cramps and injuries and played less than 25 minutes in five other games, had appeared to overcome the availability issues that had plagued him earlier in the season. He'd played in nine of the last 10 games entering Monday's matchup against a top-ranked, undefeated Arizona (23-0) squad.

Once seemingly healthy, Peterson quickly established himself as one of the premier players in college basketball, averaging 20.5 points and connecting on 42% of his 3-point attempts.

Multiple NBA scouts and executives flew to Lawrence to see Peterson — who has spent the entire season as the projected No. 1 pick in ESPN's mock NBA drafts — after his stellar start to the season.

In the building, a raucous Kansas crowd simmered a bit when fans began to realize that Peterson wasn't in the starting lineup. It's the first time that a team with a 20-0 record or better has visited Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas is 10-3 with Peterson this season and 8-2 without him. The Jayhawks have also averaged nearly six more points per game with Peterson on the floor than without him, too.