Darryn Peterson’s comeback into the Kansas Jayhawks couldn’t have been any better, but even his efforts went in vain as Bill Self’s team failed to capitalize in the final moments of the game. Turning point of the game? Peterson’s unavailability during the second quarter. The recurring leg issue had again materialized because of the exertion caused in the first quarter, and that is where the experts felt Bill Self was to blame.

“I’m worried I will say that. I’m worried because again I get the minutes restriction thing, but Bill Self’s a whole lot better coach. But why are you then if there is a minute restriction, and it is 23 minutes, why are you blowing it all in the first half?” said analyst Jeff Goodman.

“No, seriously. Like that’s a legitimate question, and I have more respect for Bill Self than any coach in the country. But why are you playing him 18 if the minutes restriction is 23? I think there’s something going on,” Goodman further added, who clearly feels there is more to the story than the Jayhawks are letting out.

Peterson was the engine that kept the team going. He scored 26 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 crucial blocks (but ended up losing). From the moment he stepped onto the court, he was doing everything he could that would help his side get the W.

Be it shooting with finesse from outside the perimeter (5/10), or notching up field goals FG (8/17) and sinking in free throws 5/16 providing the stability to Bill Self’s team. But the second quarter completely changed his course of action as the persistent injury issue seeped back in.

When Darryn Peterson left, the game was tied at 59, and 10:55 remained on the clock. It was a make-or-break kind of situation, and that is exactly where the game drifted away from the Jayhawks as the offense stalled. Riley Kugel (19 points) and Themus Fulks (16 points) of the Knights seized the opportunity with both hands and laid it on Bill Self’s team. But what did Self do wrong?

Was it reckless of him not to choose to retain Peterson during the clutch moments? Or he wanted to start off making an unassailable lead in the first half that would take away any chance of UCF’s comeback. He made it quite clear what made him choose this route.

Bill Self clarifies the decision on why he made that call with Peterson

With the burden of the world weighing on his shoulders, Bill Self had no other choice but to make a call that would ultimately shape the team’s future. The main thought that was playing on his mind – How do I utilize Darryn Peterson with his recent history of leg injury? The same injury that made him miss out on 9 games.

“That’s been a concern, that his legs feel differently in the second half, and a lot of that I think today was just based on if I could have played him less in the first half, would he have been more available the second half? And I think the answer is probably yes,” came Bill Self’s straightforward answer when confronted with the harsh questions.

Top Stories

Bryson DeChambeau Releases Fresh Statement on His LIV Golf Future Post Brooks Koepka’s Exit

Andy Reid Fires Coach In Attempt to Rebuild Staff After Receiving HC Requests For Chiefs’ Coordinators

Jerry Jones Uses Donald Trump’s Controversial Venezuela Comments Amid Search For Matt Eberflus’ Replacement

Sources: John Harbaugh Wasn’t Fired, Left Ravens After Refusing Major Staff Changes

Three Arrested in Cleveland For Burglary at Shedeur Sanders’ Home

Mike McDaniel Contract: How Much Do Miami Dolphins Owe the Fired Coach?

Then what made him do it? If he could have just saved him up for the later hours, who knows, maybe the fate of the team would have been different. Close games are decided not by large periods but by small moments, and a few more minutes from Peterson could have brought smiles for the Kansas crowd at large, but he was crammed with very few options.

“It was hard to do when Melvin (Council)’s got fouls, and Elmarko (Jackson)’s knee is hurt. We didn’t really have anybody to put in there. Obviously, he kept us in there the first half, getting 23 in a half, and the second half, I thought he started out fine. And then it started bothering him, obviously. We were hoping that it would be a situation in which I could control it a little bit better by minimizing his minutes in the first half.”

And you could see where he was going at. Elmarko Jackson hasn’t been the same after his torn patellar tendon injury since 2024, and Council had already committed several fouls (3).

Darryn’s family wants their son to be at optimal health as he is being touted as the No. 1 overall pick this year. As such, Self is administering caution every step of the way with him, but he should have also been careful in devising a careful plan to ease the workload on him; that ploy rebounded against him and the Jayhawks altogether.