Kansas Jayhawks Upset No.1 Duke Blue Devils in Thriller Champions Classic Game
The No. 7 ranked Kansas Jayhawks upset the leading Duke Blue Devils on November 15, 2016, Tuesday. The game was held at the Madison Square Garden.
The Jayhawks could have gone 0-2 had they lost the thriller to the Blue Devils. They previously lost in an overtime game against Indiana. That game was held in Honolulu, Hawaii, and the Kansas head coach was, in fact, worried that the team may be too jetlagged from the 11-hour trip back home.
Frank Mason III saved the day with a short jumper less than 2 seconds left before the end of regulation. The State Farm Champions Classic game ended with a play to isolate Mason; his other teammates kept their distance to maintain ideal floor spacing.
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Matt Jones of Duke tried to shoot a long three pointer at the buzzer but it was off. This is the eighth time that the Kansas Jayhawks defeated a top-ranked team.
According to Bill Self, Kansas coach, "This was more of a must win for us than it was for Duke. Not that there's must win this time of year, but I think it will do something for us because for the first time we won a game where we shot it like [expletive]."
Self adds that the game taught them the importance of playing aggressively and doing the little things, and is something that will help them in upcoming games. The coach also lauded Mason, saying that the point guard has made a lot of crucial baskets in his career.
Kansas was actually leading the game with only 8 minutes remaining. The score was 62-50, but Duke started hitting shots and tied the game with a 3-pointer shot by Jackson with only 15 seconds remaining. Kansas called a time out which set up a game winning shot by Mason with 8 seconds left.
Frank Mason III scored 21 points in the game against the Blue Devils. Luke Kennard of Duke led his team with 22 points. Mason had a career high 30 points in his game against Indiana.
Grayson Allen of Duke started poorly, shooting 1 from 12, but made amends in the latter part of the game by moving well and playing hard without the ball. Allen is the top scorer for Duke, and he even made it to the pre-season All America team by the Associated Press.
UPI points out that Kansas has a record of 9 wins and 16 losses against number 1 teams. The last time Duke and Kansas met was back in 2013. Between both teams, Duke has won 8 times and loss thrice.
