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New York, NY — The opening minutes of the Duke – Kansas game at the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden delivered the intensity expected from two blue-blood teams on the national stage. Both teams emerged competing on every possession, hustling for loose balls, pressuring the rim, and exchanging tough interior plays. The shooting numbers mirrored the early defensive tone for both sides, with Duke shooting 28% from three and Kansas averaging 30%, while still being efficient from the inside, with Duke hitting 41% overall and Kansas converting 52% of its field goals.
Kansas started the game in control despite star freshman Darryn Peterson’s absence due to a hamstring injury. Tre White anchored with physical drives and confident midrange scoring and pushed the Jayhawks to a 15–10 lead at the opening media timeout. Duke survived that opening stretch via the consistent scoring of sophomore Isaiah Evans, who demonstrated comfort in creating off movement and attacking gaps. Kansas gained a 24–18 advantage midway through the half, with Flory Bidunga’s hustle putting them up eight early rebounds and putting Duke on a lurch from the inside.
In the minutes before halftime, the game turned. Duke brought its defense into sharper focus, forced Kansas into tougher looks, and began to control the tempo. Evans buried a buzzer-beating three at the horn to complete a 21–7 Duke run that left the team leading with a 41–33 lead entering the break. Evans had 11 at the half; White 15 at the break, the highest of all scorers.
Kansas also answered with grit in the second half. The Jayhawks consistently attacked the paint on a night when perimeter shots wouldn’t fall, eventually cutting a double-digit deficit to 62–57 following a Bryson Tiller left-handed finish with 7:47 remaining. Both frontcourts fought foul trouble — Bidunga and Tiller with four for Kansas and Patrick Ngongba with four for Duke — and added pressure to every possession.
Evans held his own on a strong night, earning 16 points, four rebounds, and three assists, including 3-of-7 from deep. At 6-7, his length and versatility lets him score from multiple levels and also helps establish key passes on pick-and-roll. His poise was crucial whenever Kansas put together a run.
With a standout display — 22 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals — White kept Kansas in reach using his strength and balance to generate offense inside the arc. Kansas also looked to who, after halftime netted nine of his 12, and to the hard work of Tiller and Bidunga. Still, the lack of Peterson and a 4-of-21 (19%) team performance from three limited Kansas’ firepower.
Duke’s depth ultimately separated the teams. Much of the anticipation going into the night centered on freshman Cam Boozer (18 points, 9 rebounds), but his twin brother Cayden provided a timely spark with seven consecutive points in an important second-half stretch. He had four rebounds and three assists and stabilized Duke when Kansas threatened to close inside by shooting.
Ngongba scored 13 points and seven rebounds on perfect 4-of-4 shooting, thriving as a roller, lob finisher, and short-roll passer. His inside presence made Kansas rotate hard, leaving some pockets open for Duke’s wings to strike in. He has since collected multiple assists in each of Duke’s first five games, becoming a more playmaking big.
The defining moment came when Duke was on top 69–64 and only two seconds left on the shot clock from an inbounds situation. Evans curled off a Ngongba screen into the left corner, Cayden Boozer threw an accurate pass, and Evans rose over Kohl Rosario to drill a dagger three just before the shot-clock buzzer. Converting the lead eight points was an important piece of the game. Thereafter, it was sealed for good.
Kansas fought to the finish, cutting the deficit to three with less than four minutes on the clock, but Duke’s poise, as well as depth and execution, sent them home. The Blue Devils’ defensive rotations kept a tight grip, late-clock play-calling lit up all game, and their scorers made sure things went on as planned.
The final tally showed the difference: Kansas 19% from three, Duke’s balanced scoring, and a 78–66 win that proved Duke’s maturity and also that Kansas was capable even without its star guard.
Leaving the Garden, the contrast was clear: Duke played the way that their identity has been established. Kansas fought but still must find answers without Peterson.
This article was written by Courtney Chappelle, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Instagram, or on twitter.
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