Kansas did not just lose to Arizona State. The 70-60 defeat exposed something far more uncomfortable inside Bill Self’s program. A roster built around one of college basketball’s most hyped prospects suddenly looked smoother when that prospect wasn’t running the offense.

That reality is why Darryn Peterson’s performance became the biggest talking point after the loss. The freshman guard, widely projected as a future NBA lottery pick, struggled badly against Arizona State. Peterson finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, but the efficiency told the real story. He shot 3-for-18 from the field and 2-for-11 from three while playing more than 30 minutes.

And for some analysts, the issue goes beyond a bad shooting night. Rob Dauster of Field of 68 raised the uncomfortable question many observers have quietly started asking about Kansas’ offense. “I do wonder how much of this is it. It feels like, overall, Kansas is a better basketball team with Darryn Peterson on the roster. But they’ve shown they can be a more cohesive unit when he’s not playing.”

Dauster expanded on the dynamic he believes is disrupting Kansas’ rhythm. “Something about the dynamic changes when he’s on the floor and playing all those minutes. I do wonder how much that has impacted the dynamic in the locker room.”

The numbers surrounding Peterson’s recent stretch highlight the growing concern. Over his last four games, the freshman has shot 20-for-52 from the field, and Kansas has lost three of those contests. The Arizona State game became the most glaring example of the problem.

While Peterson struggled to find his rhythm, two teammates delivered standout performances. Tre White recorded 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Flory Bidunga added 14 points and 13 rebounds. Those contributions helped Kansas erase a 20-point deficit late in the game.

Still, the comeback ultimately fell short. The bigger takeaway for many observers was how the offense flowed when the ball moved through multiple players instead of leaning heavily on Peterson’s shot creation.

At times this season, Kansas has looked far more balanced when its offense spreads responsibility across the roster.

Bill Self’s Kansas team is running out of time to save its season

Bill Self knows that Kansas basketball is in trouble. The Jayhawks are now 21-9 overall and 11-6 in Big 12 play after losing three of their last four games. They’ll probably be the No. 5 seed and have to start the conference tournament on the second day, with no bye week and no easy path. This feels like a free fall into mediocrity for a program that is used to being at the top.

This season, Kansas will lose 11 games. This will be the third year in a row that they have lost more than ten games. Give that some thought. Since 2000, Kansas has only had two seasons with 11 losses, both of which were under Self in 2013–14 and 2018–19. They’ll have to deal with that for three years in a row now. It goes against everything this program has stood for the last 20 years.

History doesn’t help much either. Kansas hasn’t lost 11 or more games in three straight seasons since 1986–1989. That time was bad; they lost 11, 11, and 12 games in a row. But that team had something Kansas doesn’t have now; a national championship in 1988 that Danny Manning led them to. That made up for the whole stretch.

Kansas doesn’t have any redemption waiting for them right now. Self’s program will have an embarrassing legacy if they don’t win a Big 12 or NCAA tournament title this season. They will have three straight seasons with double-digit losses and nothing to show for it. The tournament coming up is very important. It’s a matter of life and death for Kansas’ reputation.