Self wants more out of Darryn Peterson with a big week looming

Bill Self will need Darryn Peterson to provide his usual pop against No. 1 Arizona on Monday night if Kansas wants to make an upset. The Wildcats are the lone undefeated power conference team remaining in the sport, boasting a 23-0 record and an average margin of victory of more than 21 points. Arizona is one of the few teams to come into Allen Fieldhouse as a favorite, which makes it all the more important for KU that Peterson rebounds from an off week.

Sure, Peterson rose up twice and sank two game-altering 3s in the last minute against Texas Tech. But other than that one minute, Peterson’s other 68 minutes this week were lackluster. The freshman came in under his season averages in points — 19 against Texas Tech and 14 against Utah — and he shot the ball 38% from the field (33% from 3). 

Take away the two Texas Tech 3s, and Peterson logged back-to-back lows in scoring along with some of his coldest shooting nights. That is a stark departure from how he played in the first half against BYU, when he scored 18 points in 20 minutes. After the Utah game, Bill Self said he needed more out of the freshman. 

“I didn’t think he had a good week,” Self said. “Thought he was unbelievable against BYU for a half. Texas Tech, [he] got through it. Today, [he] got through it. But there wasn’t much pop or energy, like there needs to be. He’s got to be a lot better. We all do.”

Peterson was not the only player to be slow during the week, especially against Utah. In fact, Self said after the game that outside of Flory Bidunga, no Jayhawk was impressive in the team’s 71-59 win. The way that Utah guarded Peterson didn’t help, either.

Utah head coach Alex Jensen and Keanu Dawes said after Saturday’s game that their game plan was to slow Peterson, and it worked. Indeed, Utah denied the ball from reaching Peterson’s hands many times. When the ball was in his hands, help defense and avoiding fouls led to a slower night from Peterson, who also just had trouble making shots. 

Self said a more intense game from Peterson may have gone better on Saturday. 

“When other teams are geeked up to not let you catch it and that kind of stuff,” Self said. “You have to play at a different energy level to make sure that you can free yourself to do that. And I didn’t think we did that very well today.”

The freshman spoke with Kansas radio following the win over Utah. He said that no matter wheat had happened, the Jayhawks will be prepared for the Wildcats on Monday.  

“Come Monday, we’re going to be ready to compete,” Peterson said. “Today, the biggest focus was Utah. Come Monday, battle and get a win versus an undefeated team. Pretty good team.”