Duke vs. Kansas score: Jayhawks survive Blue Devils' comeback after Hunter Dickinson ejected for flagrant foul

Playing without Dickinson, No. 1 Kansas made clutch plays down the stretch vs. the No. 11 Blue Devils to remain undefeated

No. 1 Kansas defeated No. 11 Kansas 75-72 in Las Vegas on Tuesday in one of the premier nonconference matchups of the 2024-25 college basketball season. On Duke's penultimate offensive possession, with his team trailing by one, freshman Kon Knueppel turned the ball over with 3.0 seconds left. Kansas guard Rylan Griffen knocked down a pair of free throws after he was fouled, and the Blue Devils' final shot was missed by Knueppel.

Kansas star big man Hunter Dickinson was ejected from the game with 10:26 remaining in regulation after he appeared to kick Maliq Brown while the Duke big man was on the ground. Dickinson scored 11 points in 22 minutes before his ejection. In his absence, freshman Flory Bidunga received most of the minutes and finished with six points and eight rebounds.

Kansas guard Dajuan Harris Jr. scored 14 points and dished out nine assists. Fellow guard Zeke Mayo scored 12 points. Seven different Kansas players scored at least six points. Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half and guard Tyrese Proctor scored a team-high 15.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 11:31 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Knueppel's struggles from beyond the arc were apparent

FINAL: No. 1 Kansas 75, No. 11 Duke 72

Duke star freshman Kon Knueppel is regarded as one of the best 3-point shooters in his class. Knueppel came into the day shooting 40.6% from beyond the arc. In the 75-72 loss to Kansas, Knueppel missed all eight of his attempts from the 3-point line but finished with 11 points and eight assists. Tonight was an uncharacteristically bad shooting performance from him. He can learn from this performance going forward.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 11:26 pm ET · Isaac Trotter]

Adams rises to the occasion on both ends without Hunter Dickinson

FINAL: No. 1 Kansas 75, No. 11 Duke 72

Bill Self will rave about KJ Adams Jr. whenever he gets a chance. The KU forward was one of the best players on the floor on Tuesday before and after Hunter Dickinson was ejected for kicking Maliq Brown in the head. Adams knocked down a barrage of jumpers, but it was his defense that really changed the game. Adams finished with three blocks and three steals, including a huge stop on Kon Knueppel on Duke's second-to-last possession of the game. Cooper Flagg finished with 13 points and four turnovers. Adams was a huge reason why.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 11:25 pm ET · Isaac Trotter]

Welcome back, Dajuan Harris

FINAL: No. 1 Kansas 75, No. 11 Duke 72

Dajuan Harris would probably admit that he did not play up to his standard last year. Harris shot a career-worst 43% on layups in halfcourt situations, per Synergy, and Kansas' lack of shooting exacerbated some of the holes in Harris' game. Kansas' big offseason additions have unlocked the best version of Harris. The Kansas point guard was outstanding on Tuesday, totaling 14 points and nine assists. Harris shot … 5-6 on shots at the rim against Duke. Harris is shooting 80% at the rim this season. Kansas needed every single bucket from its veteran to outlast Duke.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 11:24 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Kansas beats Duke

FINAL: No. 1 Kansas 75, No. 11 Duke 72

No. 1 Kansas defeated No. 11 Duke 75-72 in Las Vegas on Tuesday in one of the premier nonconference matchups of the 2024-25 college basketball season. On Duke's penultimate offensive possession, with his team trailing by one, freshman Kon Knueppel turned the ball over with 3.0 seconds left. Kansas guard Rylan Griffen knocked down a pair of free throws after he was fouled, and the Blue Devils' final shot was missed by Knueppel.

Kansas star big man Hunter Dickinson was ejected from the game with 10:26 remaining in regulation after he appeared to kick Maliq Brown while the Duke big man was on the ground. Dickinson scored 11 points in 22 minutes before his ejection. In his absence, freshman Flory Bidunga received most of the minutes and finished with six points and eight rebounds.

Kansas guard Dajuan Harris Jr. scored 14 points and dished out nine assists. Fellow guard Zeke Mayo scored 12 points. Seven different Kansas players scored at least six points. Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half and guard Tyrese Proctor scored a team-high 15.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 11:07 pm ET · Isaac Trotter]

Rylan Griffen atones for error

No. 1 Kansas 70, No. 11 Duke 67

Rylan Griffin with a huge relocation trey and a tough bucket while drawing a foul to give Kansas a lead at the U4 timeout. Has a chance to convert an old-fashioned 3-point play. He's making up for an ill-advised 3-pointer at the end of the first half that allowed Duke to get one extra possession (Tyrese Proctor drilled a trey). Bill Self was not pleased with Griffen at halftime. He's fired up about the Alabama transfer right now.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 11:03 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Here comes Flagg

LATE 2H: No. 11 Duke 67, No. 1 Kansas 65

Flagg just gave Duke the lead back with 5:52 left after a two-handed flush. Flagg's fellow freshman teammate, Kon Knueppel, has struggled from beyond the arc (0 of 7 from the 3-point line). He has 11 points and seven assists.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 10:55 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

This game has everything

MID 2H: No. 1 Kansas 65, No. 11 Duke 64

The last few minutes of this game have been box office. Kansas and Duke are trading shots and star big man Cooper Flagg just threw down a poster dunk to tie the game. The final 7:40 in regulation will be fun.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 10:49 pm ET · Isaac Trotter]

Hunter Dickinson ejection fallout

Kansas losing its star center is a problem, but freshman Flory Bidunga has been excellent in limited playing time this year. Just an outstanding motor on the glass and he dunks everything while giving KU some serious rim protection on the back end. He will loom large.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 10:48 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Hunter Dickinson ejected

Kansas star big man Hunter Dickinson just got tossed from the game with 10:26 left after he appeared to kick Duke center Maliq Brown when he was on the ground. Duke is currently on a 8-0 run.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 10:35 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Proctor's shooting helping Duke

EARLY 2H: No. 1 Kansas 50, No. 11 Duke 42

Duke guard Tyrese Proctor is 4 of 5 from the 3-point line and has a team-high 12 points. Kansas has made 7 of its last 9 field goals to extend the lead back to six heading into the second media timeout of the second half.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 10:30 pm ET · Isaac Trotter]

The KJ Adams game?!?

No. 1 Kansas 54, No. 11 Duke 48

KJ Adams has given Kansas an enormous spark with his … jumper?? That's never been a strength of Adams' game, but he's coming off pindowns and firing elbow jumpers with confidence. Adams has scored six huge points to kickstart this KU second-half flurry. Oh, and his off-ball defense on Cooper Flagg has been tremendous.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 10:24 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Duke takes the lead ... then Kansas goes on a run

EARLY 2H: No. 1 Kansas 50, No. 11 Duke 42

Stop me if you have heard this before: Kansas is on a run. After Duke took its first lead since the opening minute, Kansas responded with a 9-0 run to extend the lead to eight. The Blue Devils haven't made a shot since Knueppel knocked down a jumper to give his team a 42-41 lead.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 10:01 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Kansas leads Duke at halftime

HALF: No. 1 Kansas 41, No. 11 Duke 39

No. 1 Kansas leads No. 11 Duke 41-39 at halftime. The first half of one of the top nonconference games of the 2024-25 season has lived up to the hype. The Jayhawks jumped out to a 13-point advantage midway through the first half before Duke went on a 10-0 run to tie the game at 32.

Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg has only attempted two shots in the opening 20 minutes of action. Flagg has two points, two rebounds and three assists. Kansas star point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. has been incredible thus far, posting a team-high 10 points with four assists. Kansas is winning the battle in the paint 20-12 and has scored 11 points off eight Duke turnovers.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 9:52 pm ET · Isaac Trotter]

Kansas' iffy transition defense getting exposed

No. 1 Kansas 32, No. 11 Duke 30

North Carolina and Michigan State torched KU in transition. So far, Kansas had done a good job of limiting Duke's potent transition offense ... until now. Duke had a stretch where it scored on five straight transition opportunities to trim KU's lead.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 9:50 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Duke is on a run

LATE 1H: No. 1 Kansas 32, No. 11 Duke 30

Duke is on a 10-0 run over the last 1:16 to cut the Kansas deficit to 32-30. Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown has been a nice spark off the bench. Brown recorded a dunk and knocked down a 3-pointer 24 seconds later. This is a whole new game.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 9:38 pm ET · Isaac Trotter]

Kansas' defense is winning the shot-chart game

No. 1 Kansas 25, No. 11 Duke 16

Just four of Duke's first 16 shots have come at the rim. Let's see if that trend can keep up over the next 28 minutes of regulation.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 9:36 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Duke is getting stops

MID 1H: No. 1 Kansas 23, No. 11 Duke 13

Kansas big man Flory Bidunga ended his team's scoring drought with a two-handed slam. The Jayhawks scoring drought was approaching four minutes before that dunk. Both teams have turned the ball over five times. Duke is 6 of 16 from the floor as a team.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 9:25 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Kansas is winning the battle inside

MID 1H: No. 1 Kansas 23, No. 11 Duke 13

Kansas is currently leading the points in the paint battle 10-2 and has also made 3 of 4 attempts from distance. Duke is 3 of 9 from outside and 5 of 13 from the floor. Purdue transfer Mason Gillis just knocked down a 3-pointer. Maybe that will be the spark the Blue Devils need to get going. It's been all Kansas so far.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 9:23 pm ET · Isaac Trotter]

Process > outcome

No. 1 Kansas 21, Duke 10

Duke is ice-cold from downtown, missing 3 after 3. But KU coach Bill Self is not happy with his defense. Duke is getting WIDE open looks from downtown. 

[Nov 26, 2024 at 9:18 pm ET · Isaac Trotter]

How will Hunter Dickinson handle Duke's changing defenses?

No. 1 Kansas 18, No. 11 Duke 6

When Duke center Khaman Maluach is in the game, the Blue Devils play a deep drop coverage defensively which opened up a wide-open trey for Hunter Dickinson. But Jon Scheyer quickly subbed out Maluach for the smaller, faster Maliq Brown who is way more comfortable getting underneath Dickinson out on the perimeter.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 9:12 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Duke is struggling early 

EARLY 1H: No. 1 Kansas 13, No. 11 Duke 3

What a start for Kansas. The Jayhawks are currently on an 11-0 run and have made their last five field goals to race out to a 13-3 lead. Kansas is doing a great job of forcing turnovers by sending doubles. Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg turned the ball over when Kansas sent a double team, and the offense hasn't been able to find much of a rhythm outside of Tyrese Proctor's 3-pointer in the opening minute.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 9:06 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Here we go

We are officially underway from Las Vegas. Kansas opened the scoring with a putback from All-American center Hunter Dickinson.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 8:50 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Starters for both teams

(1) Kansas

• G: AJ Storr
• G: Dajuan Harris Jr.
• G: Zeke Mayo
• F: KJ Adams Jr.
• C: Hunter Dickinson 

(11) Duke

• G: Caleb Foster
  
• G: Tyrese Proctor
• G: Kon Knueppel
• F: Cooper Flagg
• C: Khaman Maluach

[Nov 26, 2024 at 8:30 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

How did Kansas perform in its last game?

Kansas remained No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll after improving to 5-0 with an 84-66 win over UNC Wilmington. The Jayhawks have wins over Michigan State and North Carolina this season, but a nonconference showdown against Duke will mark their biggest test.Kansas All-American center Hunter Dickinson is averaging 17.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.8 steals through the first five games.

[Nov 26, 2024 at 8:00 pm ET · Kyle Boone]

How did Cooper Flagg perform vs. Arizona?

On Friday night in Tucson, Arizona, No. 12 Duke went into the hornet's nest that is the McKale Center and won convincingly 69-55 over a talented No. 17 Arizona team that has been nearly automatic on its home floor under coach Tommy Lloyd. The schematic explanation for how they did so includes forcing turnovers, making big 3s and creating extra opportunities, but the simple explanation boils down to two words.

Cooper Flagg.

Duke's freshman phenom was sensation in the win with 24 points, six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal in yet another stat-sheet stuffing showing. The No. 1 recruit has been the No. 1 option for Duke and one of the best players in college basketball right away, and it's shown in the box score, where he now leads Duke in every major statistical category, as Global Scouting noted over the weekend -- making him the only currently Div. I player to be doing so right now.

Cooper Flagg Tracker: Star freshman sets tone early on his 18th birthday in road win vs. Georgia Tech

Cameron Salerno

[Nov 26, 2024 at 7:30 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

Duke vs. Kansas prediction, picks 

The version of Duke that defeated Arizona will have to show up in Sin City on Tuesday to hand Kansas its first loss. One of the biggest issues that plagued the Jayhawks' 2023-24 season was the lack of depth. That doesn't appear to be an issue this season due to the robust talent the program brought in via the transfer portal and high school recruiting. Flagg is the biggest key to this game for a Duke win. If he plays aggressively and wrecks the game on defense like he's capable of, the Blue Devils, who are favored by 3.5 points by sports betting experts, will leave Las Vegas with another big nonconference win. Pick: Duke -3.5