Major news dropped on Friday regarding the Players Era Festival and one of Syracuse basketball's three opponents in Las Vegas.
Kansas head coach Bill Self says that standout freshman guard Darryn Peterson will not compete in the NIL-driven Players Era Festival next week because of a hamstring strain, according to media reports.
The Jayhawks (3-2 overall), ranked No. 24 in the most recent Associated Press top-25 poll, will face the Orange (4-0 overall) on Tuesday, Nov. 25, in the Sin City. On Monday, Nov. 24, the 'Cuse will battle No. 2 Houston, and Syracuse basketball's third game in Vegas against an opponent that is to be determined will take place on either Wednesday or Thursday.
The 6-foot-6, 205-pound Peterson, who held a scholarship offer from Syracuse basketball as a prep recruit, has only appeared in two contests to date as a freshman at Kansas. He's averaging 21.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per encounter while connecting on 60.0 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from beyond the arc and 77.8 percent from the free-throw line.
Without question, Peterson being out gives the Orange a better shot of knocking off the Jayhawks at the Players Era Festival. However, Kansas still has plenty of talent, and Self is one of the top head coaches in the sport.
Syracuse basketball plays a tough docket out in Vegas.
In the 2025 class, Peterson was the No. 1 national prospect, according to 247Sports. He checked in as the No. 2 overal player in that cycle, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite and the industry-generated Rivals Industry Ranking.
Peterson spent his senior year in the 2024-25 campaign at the powerhouse Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif. He averaged 30.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.2 steals per game in 2024-25, being named the Naismith Trophy boys high school national player of the year and participating in the annual McDonald's All-America game.
Despite his injury, Peterson is receiving a lot of buzz from experts as the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
In the early part of the 2025-26 campaign, Syracuse basketball decisively beat its first three foes then snuck by Monmouth at home this past Tuesday evening. The 'Cuse has a critical four-game stretch coming up - three contests at the Players Era Festival, followed by a December 2 affair against No. 20 Tennessee at the JMA Wireless Dome as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge.