LAS VEGAS – Leslie Chow was back in Sin City on Tuesday night, but this time he was seated next to Coach K at T-Mobile Arena for No. 11 Duke’s heavyweight bout with top-ranked Kansas.
What did they get to see? Oh, just another classic heavyweight bout that lived entirely up to the billing. Kansas outlasted Duke 75-72 in a thriller that represented all of the beautiful things we love about college basketball and sports in general–and some stuff we maybe don’t love so much.
The fans in T-Mobile Arena were treated to a flurry of highlight-reel plays, most notably two monster slam dunks by Duke standout and likely first-overall pick Cooper Flagg. It ultimately wasn’t enough. Rylan Griffin served as the closer down the stretch and put the cap on a Kansas effort that was led by 14 points and nine assists from Duane Harris Jr.
The game also had some controversy too. Kansas star center Hunter Dickinson was ejected upon review on a flagrant two call after referees deemed he intentionally kicked Duke’s Maliq Brown in the head during a loose-ball scramble.
Despite how unlikely it looked at the time, Kansas was able to hang on down the stretch. Their SIDs will likely have a tougher night as they weather the social media fall out from Dickinson’s Jon Jones impression.
“The explanation was that he was intentional and his head went to the ground and whatever, which probably is fairly accurate. I didn't think it was enough to warrant (a flagrant two), but the bottom line is it did.
“It was probably the best thing that happened to us, that it did, because it'll teach him a good lesson. It’ll also give some other kids some confidence.”
It wasn’t just a reunion of the Duke brotherhood on the Strip either. Kansas brought enough Phog Allen Fieldhouse transplants that the Anthem ended with “home of the Chiefs” instead of “home of the brave”. In total, 14,757 fans packed into an arena that’s become more than accustomed to a marquee matchup and neither fanbase had a significant edge.
In the end, it was the Kansas fans who got to descend to the Strip for their victory session, the Dukies in attendance will likely be drinking for other reasons. Duke has turned the ball over in four of their five crunch-time possessions against Kentucky and Kansas combined.
“We're asking a lot (out of) 17, 18 and 19 year olds,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “We are and that's what they want. I thought the character and the heart of our team really showed tonight. As much as I badly want to win, I think maybe at some point I've thought about if I'm crazy for the schedule.
“I felt they could take it. I felt that they're wired the right way and they have toughness about them. The growth that we're going to have from this game, this whole trip, we’re going to grow up so much.”
On Vegas’ end, the city once again proved to be the center of the sports world after a Formula 1 weekend that only made that sentiment all the more popular. It’s hardly a revelation that marquee matchups like the one we saw tonight print money for everyone involved and few cities, if any, provide the destination and logistical advantages that make Vegas a tourism hub.
Last year was a weak November schedule in terms of the early-season tournaments that were played in Vegas, but this season was much better. I’d wager that it stays on the plus-side as Vegas continues to prove its mettle as a sports Mecca.