photo by: AP Photo/Ben McKeown

Kansas's Darryn Peterson (22) handles the ball during an NCAA college basketball game in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025.

Kansas coach Bill Self said on Thursday that star guard Darryn Peterson is slated to play in the Jayhawks’ conference opener on Saturday at UCF.

“Darryn’s practiced, same as before, but it’s a little bit of a different level now as far as his explosiveness,” Self said. “So unless something unforeseen happens, we should have all our full complement of guys going into the game Saturday.”

Peterson has been dealing with cramping issues with his quadriceps muscle, dating back to KU’s game at N.C. State on Dec. 13, which was the last time he saw the floor before he left late in the second half. He missed home matchups with Towson and Davidson in the intervening weeks. Previously, Peterson sat out a month of action due to a hamstring strain; in all, he played in four of KU’s 13 nonconference games, as the Jayhawks amassed a 10-3 record.

Self’s comment on Peterson’s explosiveness is particularly noteworthy given that he had said as recently as Monday’s “Hawk Talk” radio show that while Peterson was getting his rhythm back, “he still probably doesn’t have that explosion that he had prior to straining his hamstring and getting these cramps all the time.” Self had previously characterized it as in part a mental issue, in the sense that Peterson’s body wasn’t quite working the way his mind expected it to.

Peterson has averaged 19.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists in his limited action this season. What might be just as significant as his ability to start the game — he’ll presumably displace Jamari McDowell from the starting five — is his ability to finish it. As Self noted after the N.C. State game, he had experienced issues “to start the second half” in every other game, and even against the Wolfpack he had to come out for the final minutes of regulation.

If everything goes according to plan ahead of Saturday’s matchup, KU will finally have the chance to sync up its practices with its games. As Self put it on “Hawk Talk,” the Jayhawks have been operating in a “kind of screwy” situation where “you end up playing different ways than you actually spend all your time practicing.”

“We’ve practiced, especially recently, with him and the starters together,” Self added on Thursday. “Guys, it’s not going to be like we’ve been a well-oiled machine for two months. But there’s no excuses either. He’s been out there with the guys. If you were to ask me will we play better together in February than we do January, I’d say yes, but that would be regardless of any situation.”

He said that’s a natural product of teams playing together for extended stretches.

KU guard Melvin Council Jr., a big beneficiary of Peterson’s absence who has said he also fancies himself the Robin to Peterson’s Batman, called his teammate “unbelievable” but noted that KU will still be prepared when he’s not on the floor.

“What it looks like, it looks amazing in practice,” Council said. “Can’t wait. And you know, it’s OK. We didn’t play with him in Vegas, so we know what to do.”

Tipoff at Addition Financial Arena is set for 1 p.m. Central Time on Saturday.