Darryn Peterson's availability looms over Big 12 race

Kansas freshman guard Darryn Peterson is a star when he plays. There is no denying that. The bigger question in this Big 12 title race is how much he will actually be on the floor, and what that means for a conference and a sport built on nightly battles and depth. The 6-foot-6 freshman from Canton, Ohio, is widely regarded as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft this summer.

He is averaging 20 points per game and has Kansas sitting inside the top eight nationally in the middle of a brutal Big 12 grind. On paper, that checks every box you want from a one-and-done superstar. The Darryn Peterson issue So what is the issue?

A 6-foot-6 freshman guard scoring 20 a night on a top-eight team sounds great until you realize Peterson has played in just 15 games this season and has logged more than 30 minutes only six times. In one of the best basketball conferences in America, availability is the biggest ability, and when you miss that much time, it naturally becomes part of the conversation.

The talent is obvious, but the availability has gradually shifted from a minor concern to a legitimate issue as the season progresses. Just last night on the road against Oklahoma State, Peterson played only 18 minutes. In those 18 minutes, he delivered in a big way, scoring 23 points, shooting 7 of 12 from the field, and knocking down six three-pointers.

Early in the second half, Peterson motioned to the Kansas staff to take him out of the game. Head coach Bill Self obliged, and Peterson did not return for the final 17:42. How Kansas and Bill Self are handling it Self addressed it after the game. Kansas HC Bill Self addresses Darryn Peterson’s availability this season and how the team has gotten used to being without the star freshman.

(Via @ScottWrightOK ) pic.twitter.com/MRsNhUB3lE — FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) February 19, 2026 "I thought he was good to go, but, obviously, we only got 18 minutes out of him. That's disappointing because he could've had a really big night, but one thing about it is it's happened often enough that our guys have learned to play without him, even though that's not the way we want to play.

But that's certainly something that we're not unaccustomed to right now." That last line says everything about where Kansas and the Big 12 stand. Opponents are almost accustomed to Kansas without its best player. In a conference that prides itself on physicality and consistency, that is almost unheard of. Peterson has missed 11 games this season due to a variety of injuries, cramps and illnesses.

For a Kansas team that has produced battle-tested guards year after year, it is a jarring development. "It's a concern," Self said about Peterson, according to ESPN. "I thought we were past it, but obviously we're not. It's certainly a concern. "You get into the NCAA tournament, you're playing a team just as good as you, and you need to have all your best players available, so to speak.

All it takes is one day like that to derail not only a game, but a season. "It's concerning, but I do think we're making progress with it." How Darryn Peterson's absence affects the Big 12 That concern extends beyond Lawrence. The Big 12 has multiple freshman stars shaping the national picture. AJ Dybantsa at BYU has played in every game and leads the country in scoring.

Houston freshman Kingston Flemings has also appeared in every game, averaging nearly 32 minutes a night. Both Dybantsa and Flemings are projected to be top-five picks, yet they continue to shoulder heavy minutes for their teams. That is the standard around this conference and across college basketball.