The 2019 Champions Classic opener looked more like the first game of the season than a matchup between two of the top four teams in the nation.
Defense dominated a sloppy meeting between No. 3 Kansas and No. 4 Duke, and the Blue Devils made more plays down the stretch of a 68-66 win.
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The Jayhawks had an absurd 27 turnovers and 18 before halftime. When they stopped coughing the ball up for a seven-minute stretch early in the second half, they went on a 14-0 run that gave them a 46-37 lead.
But Duke — along with Kansas' giveaways — roared back, and freshman Cassius Stanley scored seven points in a row to regain a 49-48 lead. Stanley had the best debut of the Blue Devil freshmen, finishing with 13 points on six shots from the field.
The highly awaited battle between point guards Tre Jones (Duke) and Devon Dotson (Kansas) wasn't on display for long stretches, but both stars had their moments. Dotson scored a game-high 17 points, while Jones led the Blue Devils with 15 points and six assists.
With Duke leading 64-63 late, forward Jack White helped seal the win with a steal. Jones sank a pair of free throws to boost the lead and put the game away, making Dotson's 3-pointer at the buzzer irrelevant.
Sporting News tracked live updates and highlights from Duke vs. Kansas. Follow along below.
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Duke vs. Kansas live score, highlights from Champions Classic 2019
Final: Duke 68, Kansas 66
9:16 p.m.: The Blue Devils get a stop and should go on to win, holding a 67-63 win with 4.2 seconds to go.
9:09 p.m.: A Cassius Stanley and-one and a Jones pull-up has Duke leading by three, and Kansas takes timeout with 1:33 to play.
9:00 p.m.: We're tied at 59 with about 3 minutes left. Could be an exciting finish.
Under-8: Duke 56, Kansas 52
8:53 p.m.: The basketball has been pretty ugly for much of this. Duke leads by four.
Under-12: Kansas 47, Duke 47
8:39 p.m.: Kansas didn't turn it over for the first seven minutes after halftime, but three giveaways in a row help Duke even the score 47-47. Bill Self calls timeout.
8:22 p.m.: Duke's defense has fallen apart, and Kansas goes on an 11-0 run to go up six points.
Half: Duke 33, Kansas 30
8:04 p.m.: At the half, Tre Jones had zero assists and was 0 for 4 from beyond the arc. He leads Duke with eight points, though.
7:57 p.m.: Kansas has 18 turnovers. Duke only having a three-point lead is a miracle.
7:52 p.m.: A Javin DeLaurier and-one putback has Duke up 31-26 with a few minutes left before halftime.
7:45 p.m.: Five points in a row for Alex O'Connell put Duke up 25-22.
7:44 p.m.: Whole lot of giveaways early. Not as many points.
Under-8: Kansas 22, Duke 18
7:36 p.m.: Kansas has 11 turnovers but has made its shots count, taking a four-point lead to the Under-8.
7:30 p.m.: Another triple gives Kansas a three-point lead.
7:26 p.m.: Duke's defense had been dominating the Jayhawks, but an out-of-bounds under play following the under-12 timeout leads to a 3-pointer and ties the score at 15.
7:20 p.m.: Kansas has six turnovers already, mostly coming inside.
Under-16: Duke 10, Kansas 9
7:15 p.m.: All Jayhawks starters have scored, but Hurt's five points give Duke a 10-9 lead at the first media timeout.
7:09 p.m.: Matthew Hurt scores five in a row for Duke to tie the game at 5-5.
7:06 p.m.: Kansas wins the tip.