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By Matt Audilet
Contributing Sports Writer
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The No. 24 Kansas Jayhawks will take the court for a blue-blood clash against the No. 5 Duke Blue Devils on Tuesday night.
While this is no doubt a highly anticipated college basketball matchup, a significant portion of the intrigue is removed with the absence of freshman phenom Darryn Peterson.
Peterson, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025-26 class, has missed each of the Jayhawks' last two games as he deals with a hamstring injury. The first-year guard last appeared in an 87-74 loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels.
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On Tuesday, Kansas head coach Bill Self confirmed that Peterson will not take the court against Duke in their Champions Classic matchup at Madison Square Garden.
"Darryn continues to make progress from his hamstring strain. He will be reevaluated at the end of the week," Self said in a statement.
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This Kansas-Duke matchup would've pit Peterson against another highly-touted freshman/projected first-round NBA draft pick, Cameron Boozer. Through Duke's 4-0 start to the 2025-26 college basketball season, Boozer is averaging 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
Peterson averaged 21.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game through his first two games with the Jayhawks. He recorded a team-high 22 points in Kansas' loss to North Carolina on Nov. 7.
Kansas won each of its last two games, despite Peterson's absence — notching wins over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Princeton. Sophomore forward Flory Bidunga (17.0 ppg) and senior guard Tre White (12.0 ppg) lead the way for the Jayhawks with Peterson out.
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Tuesday night's matchup against Duke will tip off at 9 p.m. ET.
Peterson's next opportunity to return to the court will be for a Players Era Festival matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Nov. 24, followed by a clash against the Syracuse Orange on Nov. 25.
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