Darryn Peterson injury: Kansas star freshman out Saturday vs. Kansas State, 10th game he's missed this season

Arguably the most talented player in college basketball can't stay healthy. 

Kansas star freshman lead guard Darryn Peterson, the potential No. 1 in this year's NBA Draft, will miss Saturday night's game at Kansas State due to an injured left ankle. KU coach Bill Self texted the update to CBS Sports on Saturday afternoon.

Peterson was hurt early in the second half of 18th-ranked Kansas' 75-69 win at Colorado on Tuesday night when he stepped on Colorado forward Bangot Dak's foot while playing defense.

Self missed that game vs. Colorado due to illness/chest discomfort that led him to go to the hospital right before he was supposed to depart with the team on Monday afternoon. Self received IV treatment and has been with the team the past couple of days.

"I'm good," Self texted Saturday. "Would feel better if we could get heathy." 

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Peterson is averaging 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and is shooting 42% from 3-point range for a Kansas team that is 13-5 (4-2 Big 12) going into the K-State game. Unfortunately, Peterson's season has been dogged by a will-he-play-or-not storyline dating back to early November. A sensitive hamstring issue caused him to miss seven consecutive games from Nov. 11-Dec. 2. The hamstring problem surfaced again in mid-December, causing him to miss two more contests.

In missing KU's big rivalry game Saturday night, Peterson will be on the bench for a 10th time this season — exactly half of Kansas' games. When he plays and is healthy, he is often casually dominant. Few guys have the talent to take over like Peterson, which has made his rickety season all the more frustrating for Kansas fans and college basketball enjoyers alike.

The Jayhawks will have a week between games after Saturday night, and that six-day layoff could be huge because the break will feed into the biggest game of the season to date: a home tilt vs. No. 13 BYU. That game will be billed as a battle between arguably the top two picks in the 2026 NBA Draft: Peterson vs. AJ Dybantsa. If Peterson plays, it will be one of the most anticipated regular-season games of this outstanding season.

Will Peterson be ready to play next Saturday?

"I think so," Self told CBS Sports. 

Kansas readying for a grueling stretch in the weeks to go: vs. BYU, at No. 12 Texas Tech (Feb. 2), vs. No. 1 Arizona (Feb. 9), at No. 9 Iowa State (Feb. 14). The Jayhawks' hopes of competing for a Big 12 title will rest on the health of their best player.