NEW YORK — Cameron Boozer had 18 points and 10 rebounds, twin brother Cayden made a couple of big second-half baskets and fifth-ranked Duke outlasted No. 24 Kansas, defeating the undermanned Jayhawks 78-66 on Tuesday night in the annual Champions Classic.
Isaiah Evans scored 16 points and Patrick Ngongba had 13 on 4-of-4 shooting for the Blue Devils (5-0).
The Jayhawks (3-2) were still without their best player, freshman Darryn Peterson, the nation’s top recruit and potentially the top pick in next year’s NBA draft, because of a lingering hamstring injury. Peterson has missed three consecutive games since hurting himself during a shootaround.
Peterson’s absence was enough to make a difference at Madison Square Garden even though the Blue Devils were less consistent than in their previous four victories. Kansas rattled Duke with some fast-break points early before getting worn down by foul trouble and a depth disparity.
All five Kansas starters had at least one foul and three had two apiece in the first half, and Duke closed it out on a 17-5 run to lead by eight. The Jayhawks trimmed their deficit to 67-64 on Melvin Council Jr.’s 3-pointer with 4:59 left.
The foul trouble showed in some tired legs. Flory Bidunga picked up his fourth with more than seven minutes left, and Bryson Tiller fouled out with 3:04 remaining.
Evans hit a 3 coming out of the under-4-minute timeout, and Cameron Boozer scored four of the eight points in an 8-0 run by Duke to pull away.
Duke’s Cayden Boozer (2) looks to pass during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Kansas Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in New York. Credit: AP/Frank Franklin II
Tre White tried at every turn to keep Kansas in the game, scoring 23 points and grabbing nine rebounds.
Up next
Kansas: Faces Notre Dame on Monday night in each team’s opening game of the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas.
Duke: Hosts Niagara on Friday night.
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