While Kansas improved to 16-5 in the 2025-2026 college basketball season with a 90-82 win over BYU on Saturday night, it suffered yet another injury scare with star freshman Darryn Peterson. After the freshman played just two minutes in the second half, head coach Bill Self confirmed he had been dealing with pain coming out of the locker room.
Following the win, Self confirmed that Peterson's limited second-half minutes were due to another injury scare. He told reporters that the projected No. 1 pick of the 2026 NBA Draft had been dealing with cramps late in the game, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.
Luckily for Jayhawks fans, Peterson's latest health issue does not appear to be long-term. Still, injuries have been a recurring concern with the superstar freshman, who has only appeared in 11 of Kansas' first 21 games. Peterson returned to face BYU after missing the previous game against Kansas State with an ankle sprain.
Peterson was having another stellar performance before he permanently left the game and still did enough in 20 minutes to outduel fellow star freshman AJ Dybantsa. Peterson notched 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting, three rebounds, one assist and three steals. All his scoring was done in the first half, with just one rebound coming after halftime.
Kansas entered halftime with a 20-point lead, which allowed it to hold on for another crucial victory without Peterson in the second half. BYU made it a single-digit game in the second half, but key buckets from Melvin Council Jr. and Bryson Tiller helped the Jayhawks seal the deal.
