Kansas baffles Cooper Flagg, overcomes Hunter Dickinson’s flagrant 2-draft in thriller over Duke

No. 1 Kansas jumped out of the gates early, then overcame a second-half ejection by All-America center Hunter Dickinson on Tuesday for a tense 75-72 victory over 11th-ranked Duke on Tuesday night.

The Jayhawks secured the high-profile win in Las Vegas while limiting Duke’s Cooper Flagg to 13 points and forcing the freshman phenom into four turnovers. Flagg’s supporting cast led to several runs to keep things close before the tone of the game took a dramatic turn midway through the second half.

With Kansas leading 57-55, Dickinson grabbed an offensive rebound in traffic and was undercut by Duke’s Maliq Brown. Both players fell to the floor with their bodies entangled. As he lay on the floor, Dickinson kicked Brown in the head with her right foot and a brief altercation ensued.

Officials assessed Brown with a personal foul on the floor and then went to the monitor. After a lengthy review, they issued a flagrant 2 technical foul to Dickinson, a penalty that comes with an ejection. Dickinson’s night was over and he was required to leave the bench at Kansas.

Dickinson remained on the bench before officials noticed he was still there at the next break in action. He was eventually led off the field with an escort.

Kansas maintains after Dickinson’s expulsion

The game was a back and forth battle the rest of the way before Duke had a chance for a clear shot in the final seconds of the game while trailing, 72-71. But Kansas defenders forced Kon Knueppel’s into a turnover down the stretch with 3.3 seconds left, and Kansas guard Rylan Griffen came away with the ball.

Griffen hit two free throws at the other end to extend the lead to three, and Duke couldn’t answer on its final possession with 3.3 seconds left. Knueppel had one last look at a 3-pointer, but it rolled off the rim as the final buzzer sounded.

It set up another strong showing from Kansas against a top opponent to improve to 6-0. The win was the Jayhawks’ second over a top-11 opponent after they withstood a second-half rally from then-No. 9 North Carolina at home on Nov. 8

On Tuesday, Kansas kept its composure without its best player.

Jayhawks fend off several Duke runs

The Jayhawks took control at the opening tip as they opened up an early 16-3 lead. They repeatedly met Flagg with double teams, physical play and a strong one-on-one defensive effort from senior forward KJ Adams Jr.

But Duke held firm and cut the Kansas lead to 41-39 at halftime, thanks in part to a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from junior guard Tyrese Proctor. The Blue Devils kept pace getting only two points from Flagg in the first half.

Duke then took its first lead since the game’s opening minute with a 42-41 edge going into halftime. But Kansas fought back. The Jayhawks went on a 9-0 run to regain control of the game with a 50-42 lead.

Duke responded with a 15-7 run before Dickinson’s flagrant foul changed the tenor of the game. But the Jayhawks didn’t buckle.

A dunk by Flagg put Duke up, 67-65 with 5:53 left. But Griffen responded with a personal 6-0 run to regain the Kansas lead at 71-67. Duke would tie the game at 71-71, but Kansas never trailed again, surviving two go-ahead attempts by Duke in the game’s final four seconds.

Kansas got a balanced effort on offense led by 14 points from Dajuan Harris Jr. Dickinson had 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals at the time of his ejection. Adams was a force on defense while posting eight points, two rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks. The Jayhawks shot 49.1% from the floor and 8-of-17 from 3 (47.1%), while hitting 11-of-12 free throws.

Proctor led Duke with 15 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Flagg added five rebounds and three assists to his 13 points. One of his four turnovers occurred when Duke looked to take the lead with 48 seconds left.

Duke shot 50% from the field and 42.3% from 3, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a resilient Kansas team.