Kansas sidelined their star player! The Bill Self-led Kansas Jayhawks played their third game of the season against the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders today. However, it was announced that the finalist for the 2022-23 Ohio Mr. Basketball Award and the Jayhawks’ star guard, Darryn Peterson, was going to miss the game. But why’s that?

While the team secured their second win of the 2025-26 NCAA season without Peterson, in the post-game interview, head coach Self confirmed that his absence was just a precaution, saying, “He practiced Sunday, practiced Monday, and practiced today. His hamstring was tight this morning. So, you know, I’m not going to risk that. So, hopefully it’s precautionary.”

Coach further revealed that what led to the decision to make Peterson sit out was. He said, “I look forward to seeing him in practice on Thursday. At least we think that’s the case, but it was tight after he practiced today. We practiced this morning at 10, and he practiced. So, we didn’t anticipate this, but at the end of practice, he said it was tight. So, that told me no reason (for Peterson) to go.”

While this may look like a little soreness to many, this isn’t the first time Peterson has had to be sidelined. Just a few days ago, in the season opener against the Green Bay Phoenix, the 6-foot-6-inch star gave one of his best performances, dropping 21 points, securing 4 rebounds, and making 3 assists. However, he only played for 22 minutes before he was benched. This led many to ask if this decision was made due to the growing scoreline or an injury worry.

Coach Self didn’t shy away from opening up and said. “Probably a combination, it was bothering him, he said he felt it (cramps) coming on, so no reason to (put him back in).”

While his decision makes sense, fans just can’t help to see their favorite player back on court. The Jayhawks will play the Princeton Tigers in their next game on Saturday, and hopefully, fans will get to see their star player back on the court and in action.

What’s next for Darryn Peterson-led Jayhawks?

Kansas began the 2025-26 NCAA season on a strong note, but they were quick to record their first loss of the season as well. In their second game of the season, against the No. 18-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, the Jayhawks went down on their knees with a 74-87 score. In this matchup. Peterson made 22 points and grabbed 3 rebounds.

While Princeton is next up in their schedule, it’s their match on Tuesday, which has everyone buzzing. The Jayhawks will lock horns with the Duke Blue Devils. Wth Darryn Peterson leading the team with the most points, if soreness in his hamstring continues, winning the upcoming games wouldn’t be very easy.

As we move further in the season, which team are you rooting for this time? Tell us in the comments.