The big-time matchup between No. 1 Kansas and No. 10 Duke got chippy.
The two college basketball bluebloods met Tuesday night in Las Vegas for the Terry’s Chocolate Vegas Showdown. The electricity was palpable inside T-Mobile Arena, and it’s also got intense on the court.
Halfway through the second half with the Jayhawks holding a slim lead, Hunter Dickinson posted up Duke’s Maliq Brown near the bucket and missed a shot. He got the offensive rebound over Brown but both players tumbled to the floor. When they hit the deck, it appeared that Dickinson swung his right foot and landed it on Brown’s head. The Blue Devils forward took exception with the contact and a mini-scuffle broke out.
It was initially called a Flagrant One foul, but the referees reviewed the play for a lengthy time period and determined Dickinson committed a Flagrant Two foul, which the NCAA defines as a move that is ‘brutal, harsh or cruel or dangerous or punishing.’ The call meant Dickinson was ejected from the game.
Dickinson stayed on the bench after the call, but at the next timeout he was instructed by the officials to leave the court, which an ejected player must do. He finished the night with 11 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Kansas coach Bill Self agreed that Dickinson’s actions warranted a flagrant foul, but said he ‘thought the Flagrant Two may have been a little severe.’
‘I didn’t think at the moment that it warranted a Level Two, but I do think it needed to be called,’ Self said, per ESPN.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer was a little more pointed in his remarks.
‘I haven’t seen it other than I saw it on the screen that he kicked him in his face,’ Scheyer said, per ESPN. ‘So I think that warrants the Flagrant Two. But again, I haven’t had a good look or anything more, but to me that was really an easy one.’
Kansas ended up holding on to win the game 75-72.
Self said Dickinson’s ejection could ‘be the best thing to happen to us’ because ‘it’ll teach him a good lesson and also it’ll give some other kids some confidence.’