Kansas guard Darryn Peterson (22) looks to drive against Missouri guard Annor Boateng (6) during the first half on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. Photo by Nick Krug

Kansas City, Mo. — With Darryn Peterson set to play in his first game in a month as a result of a hamstring injury — and for good measure dealing with a stomach bug with flu-like symptoms — head coach Bill Self had a message for him ahead of Sunday’s game against Missouri.

“I told him, ‘Hey, you’re sick, it’s your first game back, you haven’t played in a month or whatever, hey, let it come to you,'” Self said, “when I don’t think he’s a let-it-come-to-me type of guy.”

What was a solid return to action for the star freshman guard from Canton, Ohio — 17 points on 6-for-14 shooting in his first game action since Nov. 7, helping to boost the Jayhawks to an 80-60 victory — was also a performance in which both Peterson and his teammates left some meat on the bone.

“I didn’t think we played great with him,” Self said. “I thought we stood, and there wasn’t any ball and body movement, and the way they guarded the ball screens and hard-hedged, we didn’t play behind it, take advantage of it. I didn’t think we played great. But on the flip side, I think there (were) four or five times he could have gotten a paint touch and didn’t do it, because I think he was just trying to fit in.”

To some extent, the rest of the Jayhawks greatly appreciated exactly how Peterson fit in.

“I had a bunch of wide-open shots that I normally didn’t get,” said Tre White, the star of the day with 20 points and 13 rebounds. “He just makes the game so much easier. He attracts a lot of bodies whenever he’s playing, so that just makes it easier for us. I’m glad to have him back.”

But it was also clear at times that Peterson wasn’t as assertive as he may be at maximum strength. For example, he only got to the line for two free throws in 23 minutes of action.

Self attributed that in large part to the illness, which he said in a pregame radio interview has been going through the team, and which he said Peterson came down with on Friday night — after a week of practice in which he had certainly seemed to be operating at full capacity.

“The day after we played Connecticut, first team against second team, halfcourt offense, we had 20 points, he had 14 points and three assists,” Self said. “I mean, he’s responsible for every point. I think that I anticipated, probably, him not to shoot it great or do anything like that, but for him to be more aggressive in certain ways.”

He said that the day before the game it hadn’t even been clear whether Peterson would play as a result of the illness, “and then I’d have to tell you guys again something came up and you guys would say I’m (misleading) you, which I’m not at all, I’m being 100% honest.”

Given how close he came to missing the game, perhaps what Peterson was actually able to accomplish was more impressive. He set the tone for KU with a 3-pointer to open the game. He had some strong finishes at the rim, even if he was frustrated by a miss there late in the first half that would have tied the game — and then he promptly hit the go-ahead 3 anyway. He made a tough fadeaway jumper.

Perhaps most significantly, he halted what seemed like the slightest semblance of momentum for Missouri — two buckets in 34 seconds to end a 23-3 run for KU — with a late-clock 3 with 15:35 to go.

He didn’t get the chance to do much more after that because he only played an additional minute and 52 seconds. Self said Peterson was “gassed” early in the second half, after he had played more minutes than Self intended in the first half (more than 17, instead of about 14).

KU’s training staff was working on his right leg after he came out, but Self said, “I think we do that a lot.”

“He said he had nothing in his hamstring or back of his knee,” he added.

That’s good news for Peterson and the Jayhawks’ prospects as they look ahead to a road date with N.C. State on Saturday evening at the Lenovo Center.

In the meantime, KU closed out the final 11 minutes without its top player quite effectively — not as much as a surprise as it might have been before the rest of the Jayhawks had to play seven games as a unit in Peterson’s absence.

“I feel like that’s something that we’ve kind of had to learn to do,” forward Bryson Tiller said.

Tiller also said that KU will do better as its time with Peterson progresses.

“We all had the same mentality,” he said. “He didn’t force shots. He’s such a great player that he makes the right reads.”