Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson misses game with hamstring injury

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson sat out Tuesday night’s 77-46 rout of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi after hurting his hamstring in a shootaround earlier in the day, but coach Bill Self does not believe the injury will keep the potential NBA lottery pick out of the starting lineup for long.

The No. 25 Jayhawks, who were coming off a loss at North Carolina, rolled even without Peterson, who many considered the No. 1 overall recruit coming out of high school. They led the Islanders 38-18 at halftime before cruising through the second half.

“I actually told the guys, ‘I’m excited to watch you play because (Peterson) is not going to be there,'” Self said. “There’s going to be games where he has four fouls and he’s not there, and how do we play? I thought it was good he wasn’t out there, to see those things – even if it wasn’t good that he wasn’t out there.”

Kohl Rosario stepped up in Peterson’s place, pouring in 16 points to lead the Jayhawks against Corpus Christi. Flory Bidunga had 12 points and Tre White and Bryson Tiller scored 11 apiece as Kansas leaned heavily into its advantage in the paint.

Peterson scored 21 points in 22 minutes during his college debut against Green Bay, and he had 22 against the Tar Heels. But he also has been hampered by cramping problems early in the season, which limited him to one half of an exhibition against Louisville and kept him from playing entirely in another exhibition game against Fort Hays State.

Self said cramping wasn’t the issue this time. It was the hamstring that tightened up.

“This was as much a doctor’s thing as anything – ‘If it’s bothering him, we shouldn’t put him out there,'” Self said. “Yeah, if it’s up to him, he’s playing regardless, but when you can visibly tell at the end of the shootaround today that maybe he was settling for jumpers and not trying to get to the hole – ‘Are you tight?’ ‘Yeah, I’m tight.’ That was enough.”

Still, the Jayhawks will need Peterson on the floor in the coming weeks.

They play Princeton on Saturday before heading to New York to play No. 4 Duke in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden. That showdown is followed by a trip to Las Vegas, where Kansas is guaranteed games against Notre Dame and Syracuse in the Players Era Festival. The team’s next game at Allen Fieldhouse is against No. 3 UConn on Dec. 2.

“We think he’s going to be OK and everything,” Self said of his prized recruit, “but it’s a long season guys, and he’s too valuable to put out there and create a situation out of something that shouldn’t be a situation.”