Jon Rothstein Believes Kansas is at ‘Early Crossroads’

On Monday’s episode of Inside College Basketball Now, CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein said what a lot of people are already thinking: the Jayhawks are at an early crossroads. The main reason? Star freshman Darryn Peterson is dealing with a hamstring injury that has already sidelined him for multiple games, and there’s no clear timetable for when he’ll be back.

Rothstein didn’t sugarcoat it either. “Peterson’s injury could not come at a worse time for the Jayhawks,” he said. “It’s a major disservice to college basketball if he misses an extended period of time. Hamstrings can nag for a really, really long time unless they’re taken care of.”

He’s absolutely right about the timing of the injury. Kansas is still figuring things out with this roster, and Peterson was supposed to be the guy to settle things. The Jayhawks are coming off a win over Princeton, but that game was way closer than it should have been. Rothstein mentioned it directly, pointing out that without Peterson, Kansas found itself in a possession battle late in the second half.

That’s not the kind of game Kansas is supposed to be in when they’re facing mid-majors at home. That’s not to say the season’s unraveling, but when one injury puts that much stress on the system, you start to see where the cracks are. And Rothstein’s not wrong for questioning the supporting cast. It’s early, but the cohesion just isn’t there right now.

Bill Self isn’t in panic mode, but he has to be frustrated. Peterson was the centerpiece of this recruiting class and looked like he was going to be the stabilizer. Without him, things are getting clunky. The depth isn’t playing with confidence, and the offense isn’t moving like it should.

For now, all Kansas can do is ride it out. They’ve still got the talent to compete, but that window starts to close quickly if Peterson’s injury lingers longer than expected. There’s no replacing a player like him, and Rothstein’s tone makes it clear that this isn’t just a minor storyline. Kansas needs to get healthy in a hurry or risk falling behind before Big 12 play even starts.