Kansas had to play the final 10:26 without star center Hunter Dickinson after he was ejected while fielding a flagrant two while fighting for a loose ball. The Jayhawks fought until the end and led 73-72 with 14.2 seconds left in the game.

The Jayhawks secured the final possession, forced a turnover and outlasted Sin City with a 75-72 victory over the Blue Devils. Duke had a chance to equalize at the buzzer, but Kon Knüppel’s shot went wide.

Dickinson scored an inefficient 11 points before being ejected, while Kansas was led by Dajuan Harris with 14 points and nine assists. Griffen came through late with some big baskets and free throws to secure the win.

KJ Adams provided a big lead with 8 points, but did everything he could with his energy and effort to help the Jayhawks win.

First half

Kansas was shooting out of a cannon against one of the best defenses in the country. The Jayhawks made five of their first six shots, with Zeke Mayo and Hunter Dickinson knocking down threes. Kansas went on an 11-0 run and took a 13-3 lead into the first media timeout.

Mayo hit another three-pointer after the timeout before Duke broke the run with a three-pointer from Sion James. The Blue Devils scored four straight goals after AJ Storr threw a lob, but Kansas countered with five straight goals of their own. Mason Gillian converted an open three-pointer from the corner to cut Kansas’ lead to 23-13.

The Jayhawks went cold after the hot start and went scoreless for about four minutes. Hunter Dickinson missed a lot of easy looks, but Duke was only able to cut the deficit to seven. Flory Bidunga broke the ice and knocked down a lob from Dajuan Harris.

Things quickly changed in Duke’s favor after KJ Adams picked up his second foul. The Blue Devils went on a 10-0 run over 1:16, with Maliq Brown throwing down a dunk and hitting a three-pointer to tie the game at 32-30 and force a Kansas timeout.

Kon Knüppel tied the game at 32, but Harris responded with a three-pointer as part of a strong first half. He finished the half with 10 points, four assists and two steals, including a late layup as the teams traded balls. Tyrese Proctor hit his third three-pointer of the half, cutting Kansas’ lead to 41-39 at halftime.

It was a fairly even first half, with both teams appearing dominant at times. Kansas led for most of the half, but things began to go back and forth in the final four minutes.

Second half

Knueppel gave Duke the lead in the first minute, but Kansas responded with a 9-0 run. Storr hit a corner three, Adams hit a pair of elbow jumpers and Harris jumped over a passing lane and finished the layup on the other end. Kansas turned up the heat on defense, which led to offensive success.

Caleb Foster and Cooper Flagg hit three-pointers for Duke, but Adams’ infectious energy kept the momentum going for the Jayhawks. He knocked another ball down from midrange and beat Flagg as Kansas led 54-48 with 14:33 to play.

Adams blocked another shot and David Coit hit a three-pointer to give the Jayhawks their largest lead of the half. However, Proctor answered right back with a three-pointer to keep the Blue Devils within striking distance.

Hunter Dickinson was sent off after taking a flagrant deuce during a challenge for a loose ball. The referees made their mark on the game, giving the Blue Devils three quick and somewhat soft fouls to put Kansas in the bonus.

Bidunga and Flagg traded highlight reel jams as the pressure mounted. James hit a three-pointer for Duke as Kansas led 65-64 at the U8 timeout.

Flagg threw down another dunk to give the Blue Devils the lead while Kansas struggled without Dickinson. The Jayhawks went through a roughly three-minute point drought before Rylan Griffen put Kansas back on top with a three-pointer. Griffen made another great play, finishing the game with contact to extend Kansas’ U4 lead to 70-67.

Flagg’s strong second half continued as he tied the game at 71-71 with 2:29 left. Mayo responded and put the Jayhawks back on top. Flagg then turned the ball over and had a chance to put Duke ahead, but Kansas couldn’t extend the lead, giving the Blue Devils the opportunity to make the final shot and win 73-72.

The Jayhawks were able to stop the ball by forcing a turnover and ended the game at the free throw line. Knueppel had the chance to equalize, but failed.