No. 5 Kansas rallies late to beat No. 7 Blue Devils 69-64

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jalen Wilson scored a career-high 25 points and Gradey Dick made three crucial baskets in the final 2 1/2 minutes to lead No. 4 Kansas past No. 7 Duke 69-64 on Tuesday night.

The defending national champion Jayhawks (3-0) extended the nation’s longest active winning streak to 14 games. Wilson also grabbed 11 rebounds as coach Bill Self missed his third straight game because of a school-imposed suspension stemming from a 2017 infractions scandal.

Duke (2-1) was led by Kyle Filipowski, who scored a season-high 17 points and had 14 rebounds to become the first player in school history to register double-doubles in each of his first three games. Marvin Bagley III was the only other player to do it in his first two games. Jeremy Roach had 16 points as new coach Jon Scheyer lost his first game.

Kansas was pushed to the brink in a back-and-forth game. It trailed 59-54 after Filipowski’s putback with 4:39 to play before they finally pulled together.

They traded leads with Duke on three straight possessions, taking the lead for good on Dick’s alley-oop dunk with 1:40 to go. Kansas sealed the win on a layup with 22.2 seconds left to make it a five-point game.

BIG PICTURE

Duke: The young Blue Devils won’t take a backseat to anybody. Despite a slow start and a bad finish, they traded jabs all night with the more experienced Jayhawks. At times, they looked like the more physical team and they’re likely to only get better.

Kansas: They’ve survived without Self — just barely Tuesday. The Jayhawks played fast and hard but also struggled to execute during stretches. Still, they persevered and just continue to win.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Duke: The Blue Devils may slide a little but it won’t be much. This was a winnable game against one of the nation’s top teams on a neutral court. They should lose too much ground this week.

Kansas: With No. 4 Kentucky losing earlier Tuesday and playing at No. 2 Gonzaga this weekend, the Jayhawks could be moving up this week.

UP NEXT

Duke: Heads home to face Delaware on Friday.

Kansas: Hosts Southern Utah on Friday.