No. 1 Kansas took on No. 11 Duke on Thursday night, as the Jayhawks escaped Las Vegas with a 75-72 victory to remain undefeated. But the Jayhawks' best player got ejected during a crucial moment in the game.
Hunter Dickinson received a flagrant foul midway through the second half after appearing to kick a Duke player while on the ground in between plays. At the time of the ejection, the Blue Devils had closed the gap to within two points as the team fought to try and take down the top team in the country.
Here is what you need to know about Dickinson's ejection.
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Hunter Dickinson ejection
With Kansas up, 57-55, in the second half, Duke forward Maliq Brown undercut Dickinson on a rebound attempt, dropping them both to the floor. Dickinson's feet were near Brown's head, and the fifth-year senior center appeared to kick Brown in the head during a dead ball period.
The referees initially gave Dickinson a Flagrant 1, but they went to the monitor to review the play. Upon review, they determined that Dickinson's kick was excessive, upgrading Dickinson to a Flagrant 2 that resulted in an ejection.
ESPN announcer Fran Fraschilla believed that, while Dickinson should have been penalized for the play, he shouldn't have been ejected.
"They took it even further," Fraschilla said. "The rule is, it has to be severe and extreme, I would've given it a Flagrant 1. I'm surprised it's a Flagrant 2."
ESPN's Fran Fraschilla couldn't believe the Hunter Dickinson Flagrant 2 ruling.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 27, 2024
"Wow, wow, wow, wow! So they took it even further... That is amazing... The rule is it has to be severe and extreme. I would've given it a Flagrant 1." 🏀🦓🎙️ pic.twitter.com/4KFBZ0XitM
By rule, when a player is given a Flagrant 2 foul on a play, that player is ejected, while the opposing team gets two free throw attempts and the ball.
After the game, Kansas head coach Bill Self said he believed Dickinson should have been assessed a Flagrant 1 foul, not a Flagrant 2.
Bill Self said he thought the Hunter Dickinson incident warranted a flagrant foul -- but he thought it should have been a Flagrant-1, not a Flagrant-2.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) November 27, 2024
Kansas survived Dickinson's absence, as the Jayhawks held on to defeat Duke, 75-72. Jayhawks freshman Flory Bidunga, who replaced Dickinson after the ejection, finished the game with six points and eight big rebounds as he filled in down the stretch.
Dickinson's night ended with 11 points and six rebounds. He entered the game vs. Duke leading Kansas with 17.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.8 blocks per game this year.
