LAS VEGAS – The top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks survived a thrilling finish to secure a 75-72 victory over No. 11 Duke on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena. The game featured everything from an early push by the Jayhawks to a controversial ejection to leading to a hectic final sequence.

Kansas started strong, taking a 16-3 lead in the first few minutes. However, the Blue Devils fought their way back into the fight and reduced the deficit to 41:39 by halftime. Duke’s resilience set the stage for a back-and-forth second half.

Drama ensued at 10 a.m. when Kansas center Hunter Dickinson was ejected from the field for a flagrant 2 foul after a physical altercation with Duke forward Maliq Brown. Dickinson appeared to kick Brown as the two struggled for a rebound, an action officials deemed intentional.

His absence forced Kansas to rely heavily on its backcourt and depth for the remainder of the game.

With less than 10 seconds left, Duke’s Kon Knueppel drove into the lane trailing 73-72 but missed a contested layup. Kansas guard Rylan Griffen grabbed the rebound, was fouled and sank two free throws to extend the lead to three.

After a timeout, Duke brought the ball into the half of the court and was given one last chance. Knueppel’s desperate three-pointer to tie the game ended as time expired.

Dajuan Harris Jr. led Kansas with 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting, while Zeke Mayo added 12.

“Well, we played hard and Flory (Bidunga) was great when he came in late,” Kansas head coach Bill Self said. “Our guards were making plays all night long. (…) However, we are still developing – we still have a long way to go.”

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