Darryn Peterson injury: Kansas star, top NBA Draft prospect out vs. Duke in Champions Classic

Kansas freshman guard Darryn Peterson, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, will miss Tuesday night's showdown with No. 5 Duke in the Champions Classic as he continues to deal with a hamstring injury, CBS Sports' Matt Norlander reports. Kansas coach Bill Self told reporters Saturday after the Jayhawks' win over Princeton that Peterson would be out for the "immediate future." 

The Duke game will be the third consecutive absence for Peterson, who last played in the loss to North Carolina on Nov. 7. Field of 68 first reported Peterson would be out vs. the Blue Devils. 

"We're not obviously gonna have him, you know, at least for the immediate future," Self said. "I just don't know how long that'll be."

Peterson, one of the most highly touted guard prospects to come out of the high school ranks in years, made his collegiate debut against Green Bay earlier this month, finishing with 21 points, four rebounds and three assists. Against North Carolina on the road, Peterson scored 22 points in a 87-74 loss.

Self told reporters last week that Peterson's hamstring issue has been lingering for "weeks," but he has played through it. Notably, Peterson didn't finish an exhibition game against Louisville due to a cramping issue and also exited the second half against Green Bay due to cramps.

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"He's played with it," Self said Nov. 14. "But it's still sore. So medical staff and everybody think it's something that's healing and getting better. But the reality of it is, after the Carolina game, you guys remember that first burst that he had when he stole the ball and had the layup first two points of the game? He didn't do anything bad to it, but he said it just felt different since then, like tight. That's all it is, is tightness."

With Peterson out, Kansas is an 11.5-point underdog against the Blue Devils, per FanDuel Sportsbook. 

What makes Darryn Peterson an elite NBA prospect?

Peterson has started to create some separation among his peers to become the NBA's No. 1 overall pick in the summer. However, if you ask 10 people who follow the draft closely to predict the first three picks in the draft, you might get 10 different answers. While the top pick has been dominated by forwards, wings and bigs in recent years, Peterson has a chance to become the exception.

In CBS Sports' NBA Draft prospect rankings by Adam Finkelstein, Peterson was ranked No. 1, ahead of BYU's AJ Dybantsa and Boozer -- both of whom are wings/forwards at the NBA level.

He finished as the top-ranked prospect in last year's recruiting class and begins this draft cycle in the same place. Peterson is a big, playmaking guard who continues to improve each year. His overlap of positional size, length, strength and shot creation is unmatched in this class. In fact, he may be the best domestic guard we've seen in several draft cycles. If the shot-making we've seen early on at Kansas proves sustainable, he could be even better than expected. 

The last guard taken with the No. 1 pick was Cade Cunningham in 2021. Since 2010, only six prospects who have gone No. 1 have been classified as a guard. Although Cooper Flagg has been utilized as a point guard through the first few weeks his NBA career by the Dallas Mavericks, he is a traditional wing at the NBA level.

Part of the intrigue around Peterson is his potential to be a volume scorer at the NBA level. Peterson is also a talented defensive prospect who can defend at a high level because of his size and athleticism. But what stands out the most -- and why he may ultimately go No. 1 -- is his shot making that is second to none in this class. 

Peterson has all the makings to be an elite scorer at the next level.

What does Darryn Peterson's injury mean for Kansas?

Losing Peterson for an extended period of time would be a major issue for the Jayhawks, currently ranked No. 24 in the AP Top 25. It's no secret that Kansas has struggled to generate offense without Peterson on the floor. Peterson has served as the primary ball handler within the offense and is the go-to scorer for the Jayhawks.

Even with the jump second-year forward Flory Bidunga has taken on the offensive end, there is a notable absence without Peterson in the lineup. Without Peterson, Kansas will rely more on veteran guard Tre White, who transferred into the program in the offseason from Illinois. He is averaging 10.0 points in three games, tied for third on his team.

Darryn Peterson misses showdown with Cameron Boozer

Peterson missing the Duke game is a major loss for the Jayhawks and college basketball fans as a whole. The matchup between Peterson and Duke freshman Cameron Boozer -- who also projects as a top-three pick this summer -- would've been one college basketball fans hadn't seen in years during the regular season.

The last time players faced off in the regular season and also went in the top three of the same NBA Draft was in 2021. That year, Duke's Paolo Banchero -- the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft -- went up against Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren (the No. 2 pick) in an epic showdown. 

There have been six instances of top-three picks facing off against each other during the regular season and the NCAA Tournament since 2010. The most recent example came this past spring, when Flagg and Duke faced Baylor's VJ Edgecombe (the No. 3 pick) in the second round.