No. 8 Kansas Rests Star Freshman Ahead of Matchup with Oklahoma State

Darryn Peterson sat out second half of loss to Iowa State to prepare for Wednesday's game

Feb. 18, 2026 at 7:55am

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Kansas coach Bill Self made the decision to rest star freshman guard Darryn Peterson for the second half of the Jayhawks' 74-56 loss to Iowa State on Saturday, with an eye toward their upcoming game against Oklahoma State on Wednesday. Peterson, who is averaging 19.8 points per game, has battled leg and ankle issues this season and missed 11 games due to various ailments. Self said the move was to give Peterson the best chance to be successful against the Cowboys.

Why it matters

Kansas is looking to bounce back from the loss to Iowa State, which was a reversal of their earlier 84-63 home win over the Cyclones. The Jayhawks have struggled on the road this season, going just 4-4 away from home. Resting Peterson could give them a better chance at improving that road record against an Oklahoma State team that is fighting to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

The details

Peterson returned from missing a game due to flu-like symptoms to play 24 minutes against Iowa State, scoring 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting. With the game seemingly out of reach, Self decided to pull Peterson to save him for the Oklahoma State matchup, where the Jayhawks will look to improve their 4-4 road record. Self said Peterson 'wasn't great' due to a lack of practice time after being sick.

  • On Feb. 9, Peterson missed Kansas' 82-78 win over then-No. 1 Arizona due to flu-like symptoms.
  • On Feb. 18, Kansas will face Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla.

The players

Darryn Peterson

A star freshman guard for Kansas who is averaging 19.8 points per game but has battled leg and ankle issues, missing 11 games this season.

Bill Self

The veteran head coach of the Kansas Jayhawks, who made the decision to rest Peterson for the second half of the loss to Iowa State.

Melvin Council Jr.

The Kansas player who led the team with 15 points in the loss to Iowa State.

Parsa Fallah

The Oklahoma State player who scored a game-high 27 points in the Cowboys' overtime loss to TCU on Saturday.

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What they’re saying

“It was probably game flow and conditioning because he was sick. When he came out at the end it was probably me thinking, 'What can we do to give us the best chance to have success on Wednesday?' That was me making that decision. I didn't think he was great, but he hadn't practiced much. He wasn't bad, but he hadn't practiced much.”

— Bill Self, Kansas Head Coach

“It's hard to lose games like (the one against TCU) that we really need to win. But I refuse to give up on this team and all the coaches, all the players. We cannot give up now. We understand some fans might be mad and they have the right to be mad. But we have a game Wednesday, we have (six) more games and the Big 12 tournament. We've got a good team. We are right there. We are just a step short. We are not going to give up, but it's tough.”

— Parsa Fallah, Oklahoma State Player

What’s next

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The takeaway

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