Kansas beat the No. 1 team in the country Monday night without its best player, and somehow that’s not even the most talked-about part of the evening.
Moments before the Jayhawks tipped off against undefeated Arizona inside Allen Fieldhouse, a video surfaced showing someone at the scorer’s table texting a very different explanation for why Darryn Peterson wouldn’t play.
Why Kansas Moved So Fast to Kill the Viral Peterson Rumor
The clip, posted by Barstool Arizona, showed text claiming Peterson told coach Bill Self “F— it, I’m out” after a dispute over practice effort. Within 75 minutes, senior associate AD for strategic communications Daniel Berk responded publicly, identifying the texter as an ESPN-contracted stats worker with no Kansas affiliation and “no inside information.” The athletic department labeled the message speculation.
Most programs let viral nonsense burn itself out. Kansas chose a different path.
The speed of the denial tells you something. When a projected No. 1 draft pick sits out his 11th game of the season against the nation’s top-ranked team, every absence gets scrutinized. Peterson warmed up with the team. Self didn’t know until roughly 7:30 p.m. that his freshman guard wouldn’t go. The official explanation was flu-like symptoms.
What made the response necessary was context. Peterson has appeared in just 13 of Kansas’ 24 games. Hamstring issues cost him nine. An ankle injury took another. Now illness. The pattern has fueled speculation all season, and the viral video gave skeptics a story to tell. Kansas understood how fast perception can shift when a high-profile player is involved.
“So hes sick and he didn’t tell anyone in practice and Bill said don’t half a** it if your gonna play, if not sit. DP said Fuck It, I’m out.” pic.twitter.com/6zY1LBKfxp
— #1🏀 Barstool Arizona🌵 (@UofABarstool) February 10, 2026
Meanwhile, the Jayhawks rallied from 11 down in the second half and won, 82-78, handing Arizona its first loss after a 23-game winning streak. Flory Bidunga finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Melvin Council Jr. matched him with 23 points and sealed the game at the free-throw line. It was Kansas’ first win over an AP No. 1 team at Allen Fieldhouse in program history after five previous failures.
“Guys, Kansas is a hell of a team,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said afterward. “Let’s not make this about Darryn Peterson. He didn’t play because he was sick. They beat the No. 1 team in the country at home tonight. They did a hell of a job, and their coach did a hell of a job. That should be the story.”
He’s right. That should be the story. It won’t be, at least not entirely.
Peterson’s Availability Remains the Wild Card for Kansas
When Peterson plays, the case for him as the top pick in June’s NBA draft is overwhelming. He’s averaging 20.5 points per game on 49% shooting and 42% from three. His combination of size, shot-making, and feel is rare for any freshman, let alone one who just turned 19.
The problem is he keeps not playing. And when he does suit up, the minutes fluctuate. Against BYU less than two weeks ago, scouts packed the building to watch him duel AJ Dybantsa, and Peterson left with cramps after 20 minutes. Kansas held on to win, but the chatter didn’t stop.
Self addressed the situation after the Arizona win. “The one thing about Darryn that’s been positive is we have played without him, and we’ve actually been more aggressive individually a lot of times when he was not in the game,” he said. “We’re not as good, but we are more aggressive.”
Kansas is now 9-2 without Peterson and 10-3 with him. That’s not an argument against his talent. It’s a testament to Self’s depth and to players like Bidunga, whose emergence has given the Jayhawks a legitimate two-way presence in the paint. But it does complicate the narrative around a player who was supposed to dominate college basketball for one year before becoming a franchise cornerstone.
The Jayhawks travel to Iowa State on Saturday. Peterson’s status is unclear. If he returns and stays healthy through March, Monday’s video fades into the noise of a long season. If the absences continue, no one will need another courtside texter to start asking questions.