No. 1 Kansas survived a scare from No. 11 Duke on Tuesday night 75-72 despite star Hunter Dickinson’s ejection after kicking Blue Devils big man Maliq Brown in the face with 10:26 remaining in the second half.
Dickinson’s ejection came after he was assessed a Flagrant 2 for his actions, which led to an automatic ejection. He and Brown were on the floor in a scrum fighting for possession of the ball when his right foot kicked Brown in the head.
The ejection for Dickinson, KU’s leader in scoring and rebounding on the season, came with the Jayhawks leading 57-55. Dickinson appeared to have possession but rolled over and swiped Brown in the face in the process. Officials went to the monitor for a review and assessed the Flagrant 2.
Kansas managed to hang on and win by outscoring Duke 18-17 after Dickinson was sent packing thanks to a big night from KJ Adams, who had eight points, three steals and three blocks while operating as the primary defender on Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg most of the night. Freshman Flory Bidunga also stepped up in Dickinson’s absence and finished with eight boards and six points.
In 24 minutes of action, Dickinson had 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting and a team-high six rebounds while playing a key role in helping limit Flagg to just two points in the first half defensively.
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