How the question of Darryn Peterson's availability is shaping Kansas' season - ESPN

LAWRENCE, KAN. --Bill Self isn't the touchy-feely type. So when he bounced around the Allen Fieldhouse court after Kansas upset then-No. 1 Arizona on Feb. 9, embracing his players as if the clock had just struck midnight on New Year's Eve, it shocked them.

«That's three hugs in my career,» sophomore Flory Bidunga said after the game. «He's giving hugs now? We've got to cut him off.»

Rare as it is, Self's celebration matched the moment: The Jayhawks had just handed the 23-0 Wildcats their first loss of the season. And they did it without their biggest star, Darryn Peterson — the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA draft — who was a late scratch because of flu-like symptoms.

It was just the latest chapter in the most unpredictable season of Self's career. A precautionary hospitalization that cost him the trip to Kansas' Jan. 20 date at Colorado has been a secondary headline for a team that has dealt with the perpetual question of Peterson's game-to-game availability. The freshman has sat out 11 of the Jayhawks' 27 games and has played fewer than 25 minutes in seven of his 16 appearances as a result of hamstring and ankle injuries, including persistent cramping.

The saga took on a new life nine days after the win over Arizona, when Peterson benched himself in the second half last Wednesday in a victory at Oklahoma State, Self's alma mater. It was Peterson's shortest outing yet (18 minutes), sparking a cycle of national media criticism, including ESPN's Stephen A. Smith even discouraging NBA teams from selecting the top prospect No. 1 in the upcoming draft.

«I thought we were past it, but obviously we're not,» Self told reporters after the game in Stillwater. «It's certainly a concern. You get into the NCAA tournament,