Feb 03, 2026
3 min read
Kansas freshman star Darrin Peterson was as inconsistent as it gets, while Duke's Cameron Boozer was just the definition of consistency.
The Duke Blue Devils and Kansas Jayhawks met the month before, and the then-No. 5 Blue Devils beat the then-No. 24 Hawks by 12 points.
Then Kansas star freshman Darrin Peterson continued to be sidelined with a groin problem.Since then, Peterson has missed numerous games with the injury and has been forced to leave games early due to recurring cramps.
Meanwhile, Duke freshman star Cameron Boozer was the Blue Devils' undisputed leader, averaging nearly 33 minutes per game.
Simply put, Blue Devil fans should be eternally grateful that Boozer was the blue-chip coach who replaced Peterson with Jon Scheyer in the 2025 class.
Kansas fans are upset about Darren Patterson's injury
Compared to Boozer's 32.4 minutes in 21 Duke games so far this season, Peterson has played in just 11 games and is averaging just 26.6 points per game.
In Kansas' most recent game, a top-15 matchup against the BYU Cougars, Peterson had to leave early, and it left a sour taste in the mouths of Jayhawk fans.
Now, there's no doubt Peterson played ... when he actually played.In his 11 games, the freshman averaged 21.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks per game.
However, the Jayhawks had to go 10 games without a freshman to lead the team this season.Meanwhile, the Blue Devils can rely (perhaps almost entirely) on Boozer to lead them to a 20-1 record.
Boozer's twin brother, Cayden Boozer, who comes off the bench for Duke, also played in 21 games and averaged 20.8 minutes this season.
To calculate this, Cameron Boozer spent 680.4 minutes on the field.Cayden Boozer spent 436.8 minutes on the field.Peterson spent only 292.6 minutes on the field.
While Boozer has yet to face Peterson on the court, the two teams have already met in the playoffs.If the two teams meet in the NCAA tournament, this will be a real opportunity for Boozer to solidify his status as the nation's top prospect and top recruit.
