College basketball rankings: Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson misses another game as injury questions persist
The Jayhawks, No. 12 in Wednesday's Top 25 And 1, would like to see the NBA Draft prospect back on the court soon
By
Gary Parrish
•
2 min read
Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson missed his eighth game of the season Tuesday after leaving Saturday's victory over NC State with what was subsequently described as cramping in a quad.
That obviously stinks for him.
But tucked into Bill Self's 54-word statement that was shared via social media prior to tipoff was an acknowledgement that Peterson was at, and in, Monday's practice. Problem is, the projected No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft, according to recent mock drafts from Adam Finkelstein and Kyle Boone, just felt, according to Self, a similar kind of cramping. And as any basketball player who has ever experienced anything uncomfortable in a hamstring or quad will tell you -- and Peterson has reportedly been dealing with both -- trying to push it by playing on it is usually just about the dumbest thing you can do, especially if you're someone theoretically worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
So it's unsurprising that Peterson didn't play in the Jayhawks' 73-49 victory vs. Towson on Tuesday. But, if I were a Kansas fan, I'd be encouraged by Self's acknowledgement that Peterson at least tried to go two days after leaving the NC State game late, and also by the fact that Self opted to conclude Tuesday's statement with this sentence: "[Peterson] will continue to work tirelessly, and prepare to compete with his teammates, and represent Kansas in the very near future."
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I know lots of people have theories about what's going on with Peterson, so let me tell you mine: I think he wants to play but is being hindered by his body, and, just as soon as he isn't, he'll be playing once again, and starring once again, for the Jayhawks.
When will that be?
It's obviously difficult to predict. But KU's next game is Monday at home against a Davidson team that's ranked 126th at EvanMiya.com, and the Jayhawks' next game against a currently ranked opponent isn't until they host Iowa State on Jan. 13. So, if Peterson can return before T.J. Otzelberger's Cyclones visit Allen Fieldhouse in 27 days, that would be excellent. But the four-game stretch immediately in front of Kansas is literally the easiest four-game stretch left on the schedule, which, in my opinion at least, places no urgency on the situation at all.
Again, if Peterson can play Monday against Davidson, great. But the most important thing here, way more important than that or anything else, is getting him back to a place where he feels nothing uncomfortable from the waist down, and then watching him stay that way through this season's finish line. Because, when it comes to a prospect like Peterson, we're just rarely going to see two years of college. So, the wise thing is to do everything possible to increase the likelihood that we get to watch him in March, even if that means not seeing him as much as any of us would like in November, December and January.
Anyway ...
Kansas is up to No. 12 in Wednesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Michigan remains No. 1 for the eighth consecutive day. The Wolverines are 10-0 with a net rating at KenPom.com of +37.53. That's more than four points better than anybody else this season, more than one point better than the net rating the national champion (Florida) finished with last season, and among the reasons why Michigan is currently the clear favorite, at +450, to win the 2026 NCAA Tournament, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
1
Kansas
8
Louisville
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Yaxel Lendeborg finished with 29 points and nine assists in Saturday's 101-83 win at Maryland. The Wolverines' next game is Sunday against La Salle. | -- | 10-0 |
| 2 |  | Brayden Burries finished with 20 points and two steals in Tuesday's 96-62 win over Abilene Christian. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against San Diego State. | -- | 10-0 |
| 3 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday's 97-73 win over Lipscomb. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Texas Tech. | -- | 11-0 |
| 4 |  | Milan Momcilovic finished with 18 points and five rebounds in Sunday's 78-53 win over Eastern Illinois. The Cyclones' next game is Sunday against Long Beach State. | -- | 11-0 |
| 5 |  | Tarris Reed finished with 16 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 79-60 win over Butler. The Huskies' next game is Sunday at DePaul. | -- | 11-1 |
| 6 |  | Richie Saunders finished with 24 points and five steals in Tuesday's 93-57 win over Pacific. The Cougars' next game is Friday against Abilene Christian. | -- | 10-1 |
| 7 |  | Oscar Cluff finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 79-59 win over Marquette. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Auburn. | -- | 10-1 |
| 8 |  | Graham Ike finished with 25 points and five assists in Saturday's 82-72 win over UCLA. The Zags' next game is Wednesday against Campbell. | -- | 10-1 |
| 9 |  | Jaxon Kohler finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday's 92-69 win over Toledo. The Spartans' next game is Saturday against Oakland. | -- | 10-1 |
| 10 |  | Henri Veesaar finished with 26 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 77-58 win over East Tennessee State. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday against Ohio State. | -- | 10-1 |
| 11 |  | Trevon Brazile finished with 26 points and three assists in Tuesday's 108-80 win over Queens University. The Razorbacks' next game is Saturday against Houston. | -- | 9-2 |
| 12 |  | Flory Bidunga finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's 73-49 win over Towson. The Jayhawks' next game is Monday against Davidson. | 1 | 9-3 |
| 13 |  | Kingston Flemings finished with 15 points and three steals in Saturday's 99-57 win over New Orleans. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Arkansas. | 1 | 10-1 |
| 14 |  | Pryce Sandfort finished with 32 points and three assists in Saturday's 83-80 win at Illinois. The Cornhuskers' next game is Sunday against North Dakota. | 1 | 11-0 |
| 15 |  | Tyler Nickel finished with 30 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 83-72 win over Central Arkansas. The Commodores' next game is Wednesday at Memphis. | 1 | 10-0 |
| 16 |  | Labaron Philon Jr. missed nine of the 16 shots he attempted in Saturday's 96-75 loss to Arizona. The Crimson Tide's next game is Wednesday against USF. | 1 | 7-3 |
| 17 |  | Tomislav Ivisic missed two of the three shots he attempted in Saturday's 83-80 loss to Nebraska. The Illini's next game is Monday against Missouri. | 1 | 8-3 |
| 18 |  | Keyshawn Hall finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 92-78 win over Chattanooga. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Purdue. | 1 | 8-3 |
| 19 |  | Ja'Kobi Gillespie finished with 23 points and five assists in Tuesday's 83-62 win over Louisville. The Vols' next game is Sunday against Gardner Webb. | 1 | 8-3 |
| 20 |  | Isaac McKneely missed eight of the 10 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 83-62 loss at Tennessee. The Cardinals' next game is Saturday against Montana. | 8 | 9-2 |
| 21 |  | Joson Sanon finished with 15 points and nine rebounds in Tuesday's 79-66 win over DePaul. The Red Storm's next game is Saturday against Kentucky. | -- | 7-3 |
| 22 |  | LeJuan Watts finished with 36 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 101-90 win over Northern Colorado. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday against Duke. | -- | 8-3 |
| 23 |  | Bennett Stirtz missed eight of the 11 shots he attempted on Thursday's 66-62 loss at Iowa State. The Hawkeyes' next game is Sunday against Western Michigan. | -- | 9-2 |
| 24 |  | Sam Lewis finished with 15 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 84-60 win over Maryland Eastern Shore. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday against Maryland. | -- | 9-1 |
| 25 |  | Mouhamed Dioubate finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 72-60 win over Indiana. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against St. John's. | -- | 7-4 |
| 26 |  | Marquel Sutton finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 89-77 wn over SMU. The Tigers' next game is Friday against Southeastern Louisiana. | -- | 9-1 |
