When you think of a great basketball game, there are many elements that make up the surrounding environment: the cheers, the screams, and most of all, the energy that illuminates the arena.
On November 26th, I was fortunate enough to work alongside numerous media reporters from across the country and cover the first game of the Terry’s Chocolate Vegas Showdown between the No. 4 ranked Duke Blue Devils and the No. 10 ranked Kansas Jayhawks. The two teams were a part of a larger group in the tournament, with the Seattle Redhawks and the Furman Paladins rounding out the field.
The game was about as back and forth as it gets. Kansas jumped out to an early 16-3 lead after just four minutes, but Duke caught fire as the half went on, going on a 10-0 run of their own with almost five minutes left. They cut the score to 32-30, and Kansas led 41-39 at the half.
In the second half, the Jayhawks went on a 9-3 run in the first four minutes to open the score up to 50-42. But just like the first half, Duke found a way to crawl back in it, going on an 8-0 run with 10 minutes remaining to cut the score to 57-56. At this point, Duke was riding a hot wave of momentum, which included Kansas losing arguably their best player Hunter Dickinson to a flagrant ejection. Kansas never wavered. Dajuan Harris Jr. and Zeke Mayo, who finished with 14 and 12 points respectively, played admirably down the stretch, giving Kansas an ultimate 75-72 win after a couple of clutch free throws were made by Rylen Griffen. Duke was paced by top prospect and potential number one pick Cooper Flagg, who finished with 13 points.
I had the chance to sit down and talk with Dajuan Harris Jr. after the game, and he was beaming with a huge smile fresh after the hard-fought victory. In regards to their early 16-3 start, Harris Jr. credited the “great pregame speech from coach Rob [Norman Roberts]” as the de facto for Kansas firing on all cylinders from the jump.
Overall, this game was one that Vegas was certainly happy to host. T-Mobile Arena was packed to the brim and beaming with excitement. The lights were bright, but not bright enough for the Kansas Jayhawks, who pulled off a huge upset early in the season against an opponent they are bound to see in March.
