Bill Self’s season of frustration finally boiled over on the sidelines against Arizona State. Just as the Jayhawks were getting into their groove with an 8-match winning run, they were dominated by Iowa State. A game later, they were rocked with an upset 84-68 loss against the unranked Cincinnati. It felt like they were back at their best against Houston, but then No. 2 Arizona put them back in their place. Things quickly turned downhill for Self even before the halftime whistle in their latest game against Arizona State. 

With 6 minutes left on the clock in the first half, Darryn Peterson wound up in a wrestling contest with Sun Devils guard Bryce Ford. Peterson tried to break free and make himself  open but the two got tangled. Ultimately, the referee decided to call a foul. To Self’s disbelief, it was an offensive one on Peterson. Self was boiling. He stormed onto the court, looking to prove his point to the referee. However, he earned a technical foul instead. And yet he continued to rain down his opinion on the officials, prompting them to give him a second technical, thus resulting in an ejection. It was Self’s third career ejection.  

“I’m disappointed in myself that I wasn’t out there with the guys to finish the game,” Self said after the game on his radio show, via The Field of 68’s Sam Lance. “But that was a pretty temperamental crew tonight. That didn’t cost us. What cost us is we weren’t ready to play.”

Disregarding whether the call on Peterson was correct or not, Self’s absence on the sidelines certainly cost them. The Sun Devils gained momentum from that moment and went on a 15-4 run. They took a 20-point lead into the locker room at halftime. The Jayhawks managed just four points and a single field goal after Self’s ejection. 

They shot just 21% from the field in the first 20 minutes of the contest. While they improved in the second half, winning the half 40-30 but it proved to be too little too late. Self also insisted that referees were too sensitive regarding the second technical. 

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“I came out of the box and he gave me a T, which is fine,” He said. “But Sirmons, by no stretch did I do anything to deserve a second T. But that’s those guys for you. He told me to get back in the box and I didn’t get back in there quick enough. So that’s on me.”

Further into the game, another assistant coach, Jacque Vaughn on the bench, received a technical after protesting yet another call. The Athletic’s CJ Moore pointed out that the referee who ejected Bill Self has been officiating for 9 continuous days without any break. He threw out the idea that this correlates to his decision to eject Self with two quick technicals. 

“Doug Sirmons, who ejected Self, is officiating his ninth game in nine days. He’s had one day off since Feb. 15,” He wrote. “Not saying it’s an excuse, but you wonder how levelheaded someone can be when working and traveling that much.”

With the way they played, Kansas would have lost regardless of the referee decisions. They shot only 29% on the field. And even though they were ahead in almost every other aspect, the ball simply did not go in. Especially for Darryn Peterson. At first glance, that looks like a solid stat line—until you realize he shot just 3-of-18 from the field. After their 2nd loss in a row, the usual narrative of Kansas’ quality with and without Peterson came to the fore. 

Analyst Points Out Bill Self’s Locker Room Problem After Upset Loss

Darryn Peterson has been a hot topic throughout this season. His injury struggles and early exits from games have caused multiple controversies. His place as the top draft pick in the 2026 NBA draft is in question. With Peterson, Kansas is 12-6 and without him, they are 9-2. Additionally, according to CBB analytics, the team is +14.4 when he is off and +10.1 when he is on, a +4.3 differential. According to Rob Dauster, the answer is more nuanced than fans think. 

“I think overall Kansas is a better basketball team with Darryn Peterson on the roster. I think that they’ve shown that they can be a more cohesive unit when Darryn Peterson is not playing,” Rob Dauster said on the Field Of 68: After Dark. “If that makes sense. And I just wonder if there’s something about the culture of the group. There’s something about the dynamic of what happens when he’s on the floor that changes when he comes in and he plays all these minutes.”

Recently, a picture of Peterson walking towards his team’s huddle during their game against Cincinnati. Both teams stood together while Peterson stood alone by himself. Fans felt it was representative of the team’s situation. There are rumors that Darryn Peterson’s father, Darryl, and agent, Darren Matsubara, heavily influence his game availability. That could have caused some friction within the squad.

Either way, it should be Bill Self who needs to sort it out if they want to peak in March.