Kansas star Hunter Dickinson was ejected in the second half of the No. 1 Jayhawks’ 75-72 win against No. 11 Duke on Tuesday night after cameras caught him kicking Maliq Brown in the face while the two were on the floor.
The incident involving the former Michigan big man occurred with 10:26 left when Dickinson and Brown tumbled to the floor following a missed shot by Dickinson.
Brown fouled Dickinson as they fought for the rebound, but Dickinson made a kicking motion while they were on the ground and contacted Brown’s face.
After a lengthy review, Dickinson was assessed a flagrant foul 2 and ejected
Brown fouled Dickinson as they fought for the rebound, but Dickinson made a kicking motion while they were on the ground and contacted Brown’s face.
After a lengthy review, Dickinson was assessed a flagrant foul 2 and ejected.
“I thought it was a good call,” Kansas coach Bill Self said after the game. “I thought the flagrant 2 may have been a little severe. I thought it was definitely a flagrant 1. … I didn’t think at the moment that it warranted a level 2, but I do think it needed to be called.”
Dickinson didn’t appear to make hard contact with Brown’s head, but the kicking motion was clear and looked intentional.
“The bttom line is it did and it’ll probably be the best thing to happen to us that it did because it’ll teach him a good lesson and also it’ll give some other kids some confidence,” Self said.
Dickinson, who entered the game averaging 17.8 points and 10.4 rebounds, had 11 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists before his ejection. Backup center Flory Bidunga stepped up in his absence.
Dickinson, a preseason All-American, spent three seasons at Michigan playing for former coach Juwan Howard. He was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2021 and earned First-Team All-Conference honors in 2021 and 2023.