The highly anticipated game between Kansas and Duke turned heated on Tuesday night in Las Vegas during the Terry’s Chocolate Vegas Showdown. The atmosphere inside T-Mobile Arena was electric, and the action on the court matched the intensity.
In the second half, with Kansas holding a narrow lead, Hunter Dickinson backed down Duke’s Maliq Brown in the post and missed a shot. Dickinson managed to grab the offensive rebound over Brown, but both players ended up on the floor. As they hit the ground, it seemed like Dickinson swung his right foot and accidentally stepped on Brown’s head. The Duke forward was clearly frustrated by the contact, leading to a brief altercation between the two.
The referees initially assessed the play as a Flagrant One foul, but after a lengthy review, they upgraded the call to a Flagrant Two. According to NCAA rules, a Flagrant Two foul is considered “brutal, harsh, cruel, dangerous, or punishing.” As a result of the decision, Hunter Dickinson was ejected from the game.
After the ejection, Hunter Dickinson remained on the bench for a short time, but during the next timeout, the officials instructed him to leave the court, as required for an ejected player. He ended the game with 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Despite the setback, Kansas managed to secure a 75-72 victory over Duke.
