The setting was an exhibition, but the tone inside Allen Fieldhouse was anything but casual. Kansas and No. 2 Duke gave the building the kind of back-and-forth game that had the crowd engaged from the jump, but the Blue Devils finished stronger and left with a 90-84 win on Sunday afternoon.
Duke leaned on Patrick Ngongba II for a monster showing. The junior center piled up 28 points and 10 rebounds, the sort of line that would have stood out in any setting, while John Blackwell added 23 points. The Blue Devils also made the most of a whistle-heavy game, going 27-for-33 at the line.
Kansas had its own standout in Tyran Stokes, who filled the stat sheet with 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Taylen Kinney scored 14 off the bench, and Keanu Dawes added 11. KU spent the second half without a true center, and wing Tre White had to manage foul trouble throughout.
The Jayhawks were behind almost immediately, falling into a 5-0 hole just 25 seconds in. Still, they responded quickly. Christian Reeves put KU in front with a putback at the 18-minute mark, and he was everywhere early with five rebounds and two blocks by the first media timeout.
Kansas briefly opened up a six-point cushion before Duke started punching back. Ngongba knocked down a 3-pointer, then the Jayhawks let chances slip away on a pair of close-range attempts from Reeves and a transition 3 from Stokes.
Duke grabbed the lead at 15-13 on Caleb Foster’s contested layup, then stretched it to 20-15 when Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje buried a wide-open 3. Soon after, Melvin Council Jr. picked up his second foul while defending a lob to Boumtje Boumtje.
The Blue Devils kept applying pressure, and Ngongba slipped behind Reeves for a dunk that pushed the margin to 25-17 and forced a Bill Self timeout. Duke’s lead ballooned to 15-3 during that stretch, helped by Kansas missing a series of free throws. Foul trouble also knocked White to the bench and brought freshman Trent Perry into the action early.
Kansas did have a jolt before halftime. Stokes powered in a couple of tough baskets to get the crowd moving again, trimming the gap to six. Perry then forced a turnover by Boumtje Boumtje, though KU couldn’t cash in on the break.
Kinney cut it to 35-32 with a 3-pointer, but Duke answered right away from deep through Deron Rippey Jr. The Jayhawks kept coming, though. With three minutes left in the half, Perry set up Kinney for a layup before Dawes hit a straight-on 3 to even things at 40.
Perry then carved through for a transition reverse layup that put Kansas ahead 42-41. He also held his own against Ngongba in the post, nearly pushing him out of bounds before Ngongba found Blackwell for a layup.
After Stokes split a trip to the line, he shook Dame Sarr for another basket. Blackwell then was whistled for an offensive foul while trying to work through contact from Leroy Blyden Jr.
Kansas turned it over on its next possession, but still carried a 45-43 lead into halftime.
At the break, Stokes had 15 points, six rebounds and four assists to pace KU. Ngongba led Duke with 16 points and five rebounds while also sharing the team lead with two assists.
Duke came out hot to start the second half, scoring on its first three possessions while Kansas came up empty. Self stopped the momentum with a timeout, and the Jayhawks responded. Stokes hit a tough 3, and Council followed with a quick floater.
White then picked up his fourth foul, and Duke continued to live at the stripe. Even so, Kansas climbed ahead 63-60 after back-to-back 3s from Dennis Parker Jr. and Dawes. Dawes later finished off a lob from Council through contact, making it 67-64 at the under-12 timeout, and he added the free throw as well.
Duke seized control again with a second-chance 3 from Boumtje Boumtje, then Sebastian Wilkins dunked over Kinney to make it 73-68 at the 9:41 mark. That capped a 9-0 run and swung the game back to the Blue Devils.
Kansas had one more chance to make it tight, but Cayden Boozer’s putback with a little more than four minutes left made it 83-76. White missed a pair of shots in that stretch, and KU went more than five minutes without scoring before White finally finished at the rim late.
Kansas now turns to the real thing. The Jayhawks open the season Monday, Nov. 2, against Fordham, with tipoff set for 7 p.m.
In Other News...
Kansas Gets An Early Duke Test Bill Self Clearly Wanted
Bill Self did not have to wait long for another measuring stick after Kansas dropped an 89-83 decision to No. 11 Louisville at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks now turn right around for a preseason matchup with No. 2 Duke, a game that gives Kansas another high-end challenge and, just as importantly, a chance to get a clearer read on where this team stands before the games start counting for real.
Self has talked about the value of the home-and-home setup, especially because it comes without the pressure of a conference result hanging over it. Duke has looked sharp in exhibition play, while Kansas is trying to carry the lessons from Louisville into its official season opener against Fordham. For a veteran coach trying to sort out what works and what still needs fixing, this is the kind of early test he clearly wanted. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Finally Got The Breakthrough Win Fans Desperately Needed
A long wait finally ended in Lawrence on Saturday, and Kansas got the kind of result that can reset a season. The Jayhawks edged Baylor 25-24 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, snapping a losing streak in the series that stretched back to 2007 while also landing their first Big 12 win of the year. It was the sort of game that gave the home crowd plenty to hold onto, with Dylan Edwards grinding out 156 rushing yards and Carson Bruhn adding five catches, including the first touchdown of his career.
The finish carried the kind of tension Kansas fans have been craving, with Isaiah Marshall powering in the winning touchdown run and Blake Herold turning the final minute into a pressure-packed stand by blocking a 45-yard field goal attempt. For a team looking for something to build on, the breakthrough mattered almost as much as the points on the board. It was a reminder that in a season where margins had been tight, Kansas finally found the last play it had been chasing. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Let A Wild Finish Turn Into One Brutal Collapse
For much of Saturday, Baylor looked positioned to keep its grip on a matchup that had become increasingly one-sided, but Kansas kept hanging around long enough to turn homecoming into something far louder than a celebration of the past. The Jayhawks leaned on a strong night from punter Matthew Gill, stayed patient with the offense and found a way to survive a game full of momentum swings and officiating complaints before the fourth-quarter finish took over.
Kansas erased an 11-point deficit in the final period and then slammed the door with a game-winning field goal block, turning a wild finish into a result that will stick with both sides for a while. Beyond the score, it also ended a 14-game losing streak against Baylor, which gives the Jayhawks a rare bit of history to carry forward even as the details of how they pulled it off deserve a closer look. [Read more 🡒]