Kansas over Duke, 94-83

The Jayhawks come back from a two point deficit at half-time to pull out the win against the Duke Blue Devils.  This is the first win for Kansas in the Champions Classic and sets the bar sky high for the rest of the season.  The win was sealed in the second half as Kansas outscored Duke 54-41 in the final 20 minutes of the game.  The final score makes it look like an easier win than it was.  With 2:53 left in the game, the teams were tied 79 points.  Kansas turned it up over the next two minutes building a 7 point lead before Duke was forced to begin fouling.

Kansas was led in scoring by "veteran" Perry Ellis who scored 24 points by going 9-13 from the field and 5-6 from the free throw line and playing tremendous defense throughout the night.  The freshman trio of Andrew Wiggins, Wayne Selden, and Frank Mason all played great games to give Kansas the boost it needed.  Wiggins was second in scoring with 22 points on an efficient 9-15 from the floor.  Selden was 5-10 from the floor with a 3 pointer and a perfect 4-4 from the line.  Mason added another 15 points by getting the line 12 times and making 11 of them.  It's going to aggravate one of the writers here but Mason's name is going to turn into a favorite among the fans based on last night.  So before you get too wrapped up in it, remember Naadir Tharpe also played efficiently.  Tharpe was 2-3 from the field and 3-4 from the charity stripe.  He also added in 5 assists, a steal, and a couple rebounds.

What a great way to set up the season, beating the #4 ranked team on national television thanks to a great performance by Ellis and the freshman.  Really, it was just a damn good performance all the way around considering this was the first test of the season.  There were a few things that weren't perfect but nothing we didn't expect.  What did everyone else think?

Check back later for more thorough coverage throughout the day and week!  Rock Chalk.