Bill Self Reveals Why Darryn Peterson Sat Out Most of 2nd Half in Kansas' Win vs. AJ Dybantsa, BYU

Kansas star Darryn Peterson sat out most of the second half of Saturday's win over BYU because he was dealing cramps, Jayhawks coach Bill Self told reporters after the 90-82 victory.

Peterson racked up 18 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the field in the first half, but appeared only briefly in the second before sitting out the final 16 minutes of the game.

He finished the game having recorded just 20 minutes on the court as Jamari McDowell slotted into the lineup down the stretch.

Although he has missed half of the Jayhawks' season due to injury, Peterson has remained dominant when available. He had averaged 21.6 points and 4.6 rebounds through 10 games heading into Saturday.

"DP was just, he was DP there," Self said about Peterson's first half. "You guys hadn't had a chance to see that like we have. Just unfortunate we didn't see it for 40 minutes."

When asked why Peterson had left the game, Self answered, "I have no idea. I'm not a doctor. But he definitely started cramping."

Self said he first noticed Peterson was struggling with cramps at halftime, before Peterson played his final two minutes of the night.

"I could tell he didn't have the same bounce," Self said. "He rides a bike at half, and does some different things to stay loose, and he didn't say anything, but I could just tell at halftime. I asked, 'Are you good?' and he said, 'I'm good.' But he didn't have the same response, the same pop as what he had before the game."

Self has regularly cited cramping issues when explaining his reasoning for regularly sitting Peterson for the second half of the games he's played in.

The Jayhawks coach said earlier this month that Kansas hadn't yet figured out what impacts the timing of Peterson's cramping.

"Whether we put him out there for 75 minutes in practice or as opposed to 45 minutes, he feels the exact same way at the end of 75 as he does the 45," Self said earlier this month (h/t the Kansas City Star's Shreyas Laddha). "There's probably no medical way to actually determine what the best thing is."

Saturday's early exit is an indication Kansas still hasn't figured out the answer as to how to keep their star player on the court for full games.

Peterson has still been efficient when available, averaging 21.6 points while playing just over 27 minutes per game heading into Saturday.

It remains to be seen whether Peterson's health issues during his true freshman season will impact his status going into the 2026 NBA draft. Peterson is projected as the next No. 1 pick in Bleacher Report's latest mock draft.