The Duke Blue Devils and Kansas Jayhawks faced off months ago, and the then-No. 5 Blue Devils defeated the then-No. 24 Jayhawks by 12 points.
Then, Kansas's star freshman Darryn Peterson was still sidelined with a hamstring issue. Since then, Peterson has missed a lot of games due to injuries and has had to leave games early due to recurring cramps.
Meanwhile, Duke's star freshman Cameron Boozer has averaged nearly 33 minutes per game and has been an undeniably elite leader for the Blue Devils.
Simply put, Blue Devil fans should be eternally grateful that Boozer was the blue-chip prospect that head coach Jon Scheyer landed in the class of 2025 instead of Peterson.
Kansas fans growing bitter over Darryn Peterson's cramps
Compared to Boozer's 32.4 minutes in all 21 of Duke's games so far this season, Peterson has played in just 11 matchups and has averaged just 26.6 points per game.
In Kansas's most recent game, a top-15 matchup against the BYU Cougars, Peterson had to leave early, and it left a sour taste in Jayhawk fans' mouths.
Kansas star freshman Darryn Peterson dealt with cramping in the second half vs. BYU, head coach Bill Self said.
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) February 1, 2026
Peterson did not play for the final 16:46 of the Jayhawks' home win. pic.twitter.com/jkymUesJdO
I have to imagine rooting for Darryn Peterson as a Kansas fan is like getting to take 3 bites of a $75 steak before the waiter takes it away
— SethyG (@Gutt_Feeling) January 31, 2026
Now, there is no denying that Peterson has played while... when he has actually played. Over his 11 games, the freshman has averaged 21.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game.
However, the Jayhawks have had to play 10 games without the freshman who was supposed to revitalize the team this season. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils have been able to rely (almost entirely, at times) on Boozer to lead them to their 20-1 record.
Even Boozer's twin brother, Cayden Boozer, who comes off the bench for Duke, has played in 21 games and averaged 20.8 minutes so far this season.
To do the math, Cameron Boozer has clocked in for 680.4 minutes. Cayden Boozer has clocked in for 436.8 minutes. Peterson has clocked in for just 292.6 minutes.
While the Boozers have yet to face Peterson on the court, the two teams are possibly on a crash course to face each other in the postseason. If the two teams play each other in the NCAA Tournament, it will be a true chance for Boozer to cement himself as the probable No. 1 pick and best freshman in the country.