The Duke basketball program is gearing up to take on No. 24 Kansas in the State Farm Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night, and there's a good chance that Bill Self and the Jayhawks will be without superstar freshman Darryn Peterson, who has missed the team's last two games with a lingering hamstring issue. No definitive answer has been released in regard to his availability tonight against the Blue Devils, but there is a good chance he doesn't suit up, and regardless, he won't be 100% healthy. Kansas head coach Bill Self has understandably been very cautious with his star rookie, but now he has a decision to make in an early, yet prime time, matchup against Duke.
Peterson has been Kansas' lone consistent offensive player this season, and there's a good chance that the Blue Devils can win this contest handily if he ultimately does not suit up. Self would likely rather have the freshman be ready for the rest of the Jayhawks' non-conference slate and into Big 12 action, but a lopsided loss that could be in Kansas' future if Peterson sits out wouldn't look great on the resume later on.
Kansas star freshman Darryn Peterson's health remains in question ahead of Champions Classic
Peterson has sat out in both of Kansas' last two games against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Princeton. Self has given some insight into the guard's health, but none of it has been very concise.
"We're not obviously going to have him, at least for the immediate future," Self said after the Jayhawks' win over Princeton. "I just don't know how long that will be."
Duke looks to be fully healthy ahead of the Champions Classic, and without Peterson, Kansas' offense becomes very shaky.
It has run through center Flory Bidunga over his absence, but the guard play for the Jayhawks has been lackluster at best. After an 87-74 loss to North Carolina in Chapel Hill, Kansas could greatly use a resume-boosting win as Self looks to bounce back from an extremely disappointing 2024-25 season. But if Peterson can't suit up, it's going to be extremely difficult for the Jayhawks to squeak out a victory over Duke.