Darryn Peterson was less than 100 percent during Sunday’s 80-60 victory over Missouri, but the Kansas star still played well in his return to the lineup from a hamstring injury.
Despite also playing with flu-like symptoms, Peterson finished with 17 points and three rebounds in his 23 minutes, 17 of which happened in the first half.
“I think it frustrates him. But it’s the world we live in,” Jayhawks head coach Bill Self said, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). “That kid is over there getting four treatments a day, 45 minutes in every treatment. That kid spends more time shooting on his own maybe than [any player] I’ve ever coached.
“That kid wants to be out there so bad, and then when I say whatever I’m going to say, it’s not enough for me to say, ‘It’s day to day,’ which that’s what it’s been.”
It was Peterson’s first game since Nov. 7 against North Carolina.
The Jayhawks went 5-2 without him with losses to Duke and UConn but notable wins over Notre Dame, Syracuse and Tennessee. They cruised past Missouri with him back in the lineup with four of the five starters scoring in double figures.
Tre White (20 points and 13 rebounds) and Flory Bidunga (10 points and 11 rebounds) notched double-doubles in a balanced effort for the victors.
But Kansas’ ceiling ultimately depends on Peterson remaining on the floor and playing up to his potential into March. B/R’s Jonathan Wasserman projected the wing playmaker as the No. 1 overall pick in his latest mock draft, underscoring Peterson’s overall potential at just 18 years old.
He will be under the spotlight throughout the remainder of the season because of his status as arguably the top NBA draft prospect in college basketball, and Sunday was no different.