It wasn’t the prettiest of games by any means but No. 4 Duke took home the 68-66 win in New York vs. No. 3 Kansas on Tuesday, kicking off the season in a big way. Neither team seemed to impress offensively but these two powerhouses battled it out in the Champions Classic.
So, with the game in the books, here are some of the takeaways for each team.
Turnovers an issue for both teams
The teams battled early back and forth but the story of the first half was the number of turnovers for each team. Whether it was nerves or just too much adrenaline issues, both teams had way too many turnovers in the game. Just in the first half, Kansas had 18 and Duke had 8. In the end, there were a total of 43 turnovers between the two teams (Kansas finished with 27, Duke finished with 16).
Devon Dotson, Ochai Agbaji the leaders for the Jayhawks
Even though Kansas has the size with Azuibuike, De Sousa, and McCormack, the Jayhawks look at their best when Dotson and Agbaji is in attack mode. Whether it is in transition or breaking down the defense, these two guards make Kansas incredibly dangerous when they play their game. Dotson is extremely fast and can get to the cup when he wants, as well as to the free-throw line. Agbaji is so long and can be a threat inside and out. When these two are clicking, it opens the floor up for everyone else.
Duke