Would I have rather had it inside Cameron Indoor Stadium or Allen Fieldhouse? Of course I would've! College basketball is forever better in true home-road environments, especially in historic, on-campus buildings. So, like I tweeted late Tuesday, if you put me at a table in between Kansas coach Bill Self and Duke coach Jon Scheyer, I'm figuring out a way to get them to agree to a home-and-home series with one meeting at Cameron, another at The Phog.
But that's a column for another day.
Today, let's just focus on the fact that Kansas and Duke — two of the sport's biggest and best brands — met late Tuesday on a neutral-court in Las Vegas. It didn't pop like it otherwise would've in a true home-road environment, but it was still a fun game that likely ensured the Jayhawks will remain No. 1 when the AP Top 25 poll updates Monday regardless of what happens in Maui, Atlantis or anywhere else.
Final score: Kansas 75, Duke 72.
Despite CBS Sports preseason All-American Hunter Dickinson getting ejected after just 24 minutes on the court for kicking Duke's Maliq Brown in the head, the Jayhwks shot 49.1% from the field to improve to 7-0 with victories over Duke, North Carolina and Michigan State. Needless to say, Bill Self's program remains No. 1 in Wednesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings for the 24th straight day of this season.
Duke remains No. 10.
Next up for KU is Saturday's game against Furman that KenPom.com gives the Jayhawks a 95% chance of winning. So, barring an upset inside Allen Fieldhouse, the Jayhawks will enter next week with a 7-0 record.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Kansas
| Dajuan Harris finished with 14 points and nine assists in Tuesday's 75-72 win over Duke. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against Furman. | -- | 7-2 |
2 |
Auburn
| Johni Broome finished with 23 points and 19 rebounds in Tuesday's 85-72 win over North Carolina. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against Memphis. | -- | 8-1 |
3 |
Gonzaga
| Graham Ike finished with 15 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 84-41 win over Long Beach State. The Zags' next game is Wednesday against West Virginia. | 1 | 7-2 |
4 |
Iowa St.
| Keshon Gilbert finished with 24 points and three assists in Tuesday's 89-84 win over Dayton. The Cyclones' next game is Wednesday against Colorado. | 1 | 7-1 |
5 |
Marquette
| David Joplin finished with 29 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 80-69 win over Georgia. The Golden Eagles' next game is Wednesday against Stonehill. | 2 | 9-1 |
6 |
Tennessee
| Chaz Lanier finished with 25 points and four rebounds in Friday's 77-62 win over Baylor. The Vols' next game is Wednesday against Tennessee Martin. | 2 | 9-0 |
7 |
Kentucky
| Andrew Carr finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds in Tuesday's 87-68 win over Western Kentucky. The Wildcats' next game is Friday against Georgia State. | 2 | 8-1 |
8 |
Purdue
| Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with 18 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 80-45 win over Marshall. The Boilermakers' next game is Thursday against NC State. | 3 | 8-2 |
9 |
Alabama
| Mark Sears finished with 24 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 85-80 win over Houston. The Crimson Tide's next game is Wednesday against Rutgers. | 3 | 7-2 |
10 |
Duke
| Kon Knueppel was 4 of 14 from the field in Tuesday's 75-72 loss to Kansas. The Blue Devils' next game is Friday against Seattle. | -- | 8-2 |
11 |
Houston
| Emanuel Sharp was 3 of 11 from the field in Tuesday's 85-80 loss to Alabama. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against Notre Dame. | 5 | 6-3 |
12 |
N. Carolina
| Elliot Cadeau was 5 of 15 from the field in Tuesday's 85-72 loss to Auburn. The Tar Heels' next game is Wednesday against Michigan State. | 9 | 5-4 |
13 |
Memphis
| Tyrese Hunter finished with 23 points and two assists in Tuesday's 71-63 win over Michigan State. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against Auburn/North Carolina. | -- | 7-2 |
14 |
Indiana
| Myles Rice finished with 20 points and six assists in Thursday's 69-58 win over UNC Greensboro. The Hoosiers' next game is Wednesday against Louisville. | 1 | 8-2 |
15 |
Wisconsin
| John Tonje finished with 33 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's 81-75 win over Pitt. The Badgers' next game is Saturday against Chicago State. | 1 | 8-3 |
16 |
Baylor
| Jayden Nunn missed six of the seven shots he attempted in Friday's 77-62 loss to Tennessee. The Bears' next game is Wednesday against New Orleans. | 1 | 6-3 |
17 |
Arkansas
| Karter Knox finished with 21 points and six rebounds in Monday's 109-35 win over Maryland Eastern Shore. The Razorbacks' next game is Thursday against Illinois. | 1 | 8-2 |
18 |
Pittsburgh
| Guillermo Diaz Graham was 1 of 6 from 3-point range in Sunday's 81-75 loss to Wisconsin. The Panthers' next game is Friday at Ohio State. | 1 | 8-2 |
19 |
Ohio St.
| John Mobley Jr. finished with 23 points and two steals in Friday's 104-60 win over Campbell. The Buckeyes' next game is Monday against Green Bay. | 2 | 6-3 |
20 |
Texas
| Tre Johnson finished with 17 points and two rebounds in Friday's 67-58 win over Saint Joseph's. The Longhorns' next game is Friday against Delaware State. | 2 | 7-2 |
21 |
Arizona
| Caleb Love missed 10 of the 15 shots he attempted in Friday's 69-55 loss to Duke. The Wildcats' next game is Wednesday against Davidson. | 2 | 4-4 |
22 |
Florida
| Alijah Martin finished with 32 points and nine rebounds in Friday's 93-68 win over Southern Illinois. The Gators' next game is Thursday against Wake Forest. | 2 | 9-0 |
23 |
Cincinnati
| Dillon Mitchell finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 81-58 win over Georgia Tech. The Bearcats' next game is Wednesday against Alabama State. | 2 | 7-1 |
24 |
Ole Miss
| Matthew Murrell finished with 19 points and four assists in Thursday's 100-68 win over Oral Roberts. The Rebels' next game is Thursday against BYU. | 2 | 8-1 |
25 |
Miss. St.
| Keshawn Murphy finished with 16 points and seven rebounds in Friday's 84-79 win over SMU. The Bulldogs' next game is Thursday against UNLV. | NR | 8-1 |
26 |
Oregon
| TJ Bamba finished with 18 points and four steals in Tuesday's 80-70 win over Texas A&M. The Ducks' next game is Wednesday against San Diego State. | NR | 9-1 |
In: Mississippi State, Oregon
Out: UConn, Texas A&M