Kansas Jayhawks freshman men’s basketball sensation Darryn Peterson swished his sixth 3-pointer of the game, one that stretched a rapidly dwindling KU lead to 13 points.
Then he pointed to Jayhawks coach Bill Self, asking out of what became an 81-69 victory over Oklahoma State on Wednesday night at Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Peterson — he hit three 3-pointers and scored 13 points in the game’s first five minutes — wound up playing just 18 minutes. He played 15 in the initial half and the first three of the second as the Jayhawks, who led by as many as 23 points before the intermission, improved to 20-6 (10-3 Big 12). OSU fell to 16-10 (4-9).
“Well, we’ve had it (happen) more than a couple of times, and I didn’t anticipate that tonight at all,” Self said of Peterson leaving the game early because of cramps.
Peterson, who is expected to be a top-three pick in this year’s NBA Draft, departed this one with 17 minutes, 23 seconds left and KU up by 13 points, 46-33.
“I thought he was good to go, but obviously we only got 18 minutes out of him,” Self said. “And, you know, that’s disappointing, because he could have had a really big night. I didn’t know that he’d be done, but obviously he was cramping.”
Peterson, the 6-foot-6 Canton, Ohio native, hit 7 of 12 shots, including 6 of 10 from 3-point range. He was 3-of-4 from the free-throw line and had 20 points in the initial half as KU opened a 43-29 lead.
“One thing about it,” Self said, “is it (cramping) has happened enough that our guys have learned to play without him, even though that’s not the way we want to play. But that’s certainly something we’re not unaccustomed to right now.”
Self said that he had sent guard Elmarko Jackson to the scorer’s table shortly before Peterson hit the 3 that stretched KU’s lead to 13 before the first TV timeout of the second half.
“He was going to come out, I think, before he made the 3 (at the 17:23 mark),” Self said. “And then he makes the 3 and says, ‘Get me.’” Peterson at one point walked behind the KU bench, ostensibly to try to stretch, but for the majority of the second half he sat with a wrap on his thigh.
Self conceded that Peterson’s regular cramping problem “is a concern” as the season winds down and tournament time nears.
