Kansas tops Duke despite star’s ejection: ‘It’s a really important win’

Star center Hunter Dickinson’s ejection midway through the second half left No. 1 Kansas with questions about who would step up down the stretch against No. 11 Duke at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday night.

Alabama transfer Rylan Griffen provided some answers. The guard had perhaps his most important contributions of the young season to help the Jayhawks beat the Blue Devils 75-72.

Griffen hit a 3-pointer and followed it up with a 3-point play as part of a personal 6-0 run that gave Kansas (6-0) a 71-67 lead with 3:33 remaining.

Then with the Jayhawks nursing a one-point lead in the closing seconds, Griffen came up with a steal in traffic under his own basket and made a pair of free throws to put his team up 75-72. Guard Kon Knueppel’s subsequent desperation 3-point attempt at the buzzer rimmed out to seal the loss for Duke (4-2).

“I thought he was great,” Kansas coach Bill Self said of Griffen’s performance down the stretch.

All eight of Griffen’s points came after Dickinson was ejected 9:34 into the second half after a lengthy review. Dickinson was fouled on an offensive rebound and was pulled to the ground by Duke forward Maliq Brown. Dickinson proceeded to kick Brown in the face in the ensuing scramble on the floor.

Officials decided to call a Flagrant 2 on Dickinson and ejected him after several minutes. He left the game with 11 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Self said he wasn’t sure an ejection was warranted, but also didn’t claim Dickinson was innocent.

“I thought it was a good call,” Self said. “I thought the (Flagrant 2) may have been severe, but it was definitely a Flagrant 1. It was a good lesson to learn, but I do think something needed to be called.”

Dickinson’s teammates found a way to overcome the call.

Griffen, who was removed from the starting lineup Tuesday, seized the shot at redemption. He was also looking to bounce back after being chastised by Self for putting up a long 3 instead of holding for the last shot at the end of the first half.

“I was just going out there to play because it was winning time, so I was just trying to do what I could to help,” Griffen said. “I was trying to crash the boards and make open shots when I got them, then focus on defense. I wouldn’t say it was a mindset change, but maybe an intensity change. I had to ramp it up because the game was going to end and I didn’t want to lose.

“Plus, I owed (my teammates) from the first half.”

Dickinson’s departure left a gaping hole for Kansas on defense, one Duke freshman phenom Cooper Flagg exploited with a pair of highlight-reel dunks minutes after Dickinson exited. Flagg had seven of his 13 points in the game’s final 10 minutes.

Kansas defensive stopper KJ Adams guarded Flagg most of the game. Self said he tried to downplay the matchup beforehand to not get Adams too hyped, but he praised the senior forward’s effort.

“Cooper is so good, he’s going to get his eventually,” said Self, who pointed out most of Flagg’s points came after ballscreens that freed him from Adams. “I think KJ showed a lot of people tonight that you can be an elite player at this level without being a prolific scorer, because he did it all tonight.”

Guard Dajuan Harris Jr., one of several Kansas players that said the team had a chip on its shoulder Tuesday because it was a betting underdog despite being ranked No. 1, added 14 points and nine assists for the Jayhawks.

“It’s a really important win, but it’s also really early,” Adams said. “So it’s hard to get too high because a lot of things can change. Duke won’t be the same team in March and neither will we. But this is a good notch in our cap.”