Signs exist that point to Darryn Peterson playing at K-State

We don’t yet know if Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson will play on Saturday night at Kansas State, but there are enough reasons in place to like his chances.

This time, instead of cramps or a hamstring, we’re talking about the ankle that Peterson turned on Tuesday night during the Jayhawks’ win at Colorado.

KU coach Bill Self said Thursday that he did not know then whether Peterson would play in KU’s next game — 7 p.m. Saturday night at Kansas State.

But he did use the phrase, “hopefully he’ll be able to go,” while meeting with the media on Thursday.

This isn’t like recent DP hopefullys. This is more tangible. He has an ankle injury. Self confirmed it was a sprain and called it pretty severe. But he also sounded relieved that that’s all it was.

Beyond that, Peterson was able to re-enter the Colorado game and finish that one after rolling the ankle when he landed on a CU player’s foot.

How good does that sound to hear? Not only was he able to play through the pain, he was able to finish a game. Huge, huge news.

Now, ankle injuries are tricky. There’s a fair amount of adrenaline flowing that allows players to play through ankle sprains when they happen. But things can tighten up and get considerably more sore the next day.

By the time the Jayhawks and Wildcats tip on Saturday night, DP will have had a few days to rest it, get treatment and get to a point where he can play. So, it’s definitely within the realm of possibilities that he’ll be ready to go.

It’s also fairly safe to say that, if Peterson does play, he might not be at 100%.

We’ve seen that, though. And we’ve seen him score 20+ against several teams even at less than 100%. No harm there.

Dealing with an ankle on the back end is also way better than dealing with lingering hamstring or cramping issues.

Here’s Self’s full comment from Thursday when he was asked whether DP would be able to play.

“I don't know yet. He's getting treatment. You know, he's got a pretty severe ankle sprain, but fortunately, that's all. That's all it is, is a sprain. So, hopefully he'll be able to go and play, but we're not at a point where we can make a decision on that yet.”

The guess here is that Peterson plays. KU needs him, K-State would probably rather not see him and, after the game, he’ll have a week to rest before his highly anticipated home showdown with BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa on Jan. 31 at Allen Fieldhouse.