Hunter Dickinson scored 28 points and Bill Self became the winningest coach in Kansas history as the top-ranked Jayhawks pulled away from Michigan State for a 77-69 victory in the Champions Classic In Atlanta.
Spartans forward Jaxon Kohler hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 52 with just under nine minutes remaining. KJ Adams Jr. hit a pair of free throws to put Kansas (3-0) ahead to stay.
Self improved to 591-143 in his 22nd season coaching the Jayhawks, pushing him past Phog Allen’s mark of 590-219 in 39 seasons on the Kansas sideline. Including stints at Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Illinois, Self is two wins away from 800 in his career.
Frankie Fidler led Michigan State (2-1) with 15 points.
The Jayhawks posted their second straight win over one of the nation’s prominent programs, following up a 92-89 win over No. 10 North Carolina.
Self brushed off becoming the winningest coach in Kansas basketball history, even as he surpassed the guy whose name is on the arena.
“It means I’m old,” the 61-year-old Self said with a slight grin. “And it means I’ve had a lot of really good players.”
Kentucky 77, Duke 72 >> Kentucky threw the first punch, then Duke built a double-digit lead. In the end, the latest edition of this blue-blood college basketball rivalry came down to the final seconds.
Otega Oweh came up with a big steal at the end, taking it the other way to score the game’s winning points on two free throws, ultimately giving the No. 19 Wildcats a victory over the sixth-ranked Blue Devils in Atlanta in the first marquee game of the Mark Pope era.
After Duke led for much of the way, it was a back-and-forth game in the final minutes.
Andrew Carr finished off an and-one play with 3:57 left to tie the game at 67-all, and he later found Oweh on a cut to the basket to give the Cats a 69-67 lead, their first advantage since midway through the first half.
After Duke freshman Cooper Flagg -- the projected No. 1 pick in next year’s NBA draft -- answered with an and-one to give the Blue Devils a 70-69 lead, Carr came back with another of his own. The UK forward scored on a driving basket and hit the free throw to put the Cats up 72-70. Flagg answered on the other end with a strong finish to tie it up again at 72-all.
That set up the finish, with Oweh stripping the ball from Flagg and taking it the other way for the go-ahead points with 10 seconds left.
Baylor 104, Sam Houston 67 >> Jayden Nunn had 19 points with five 3-pointers to lead seven Baylor players scoring in double figures and the 12th-ranked Bears won their home opener in Waco, Texas.
The Bears (2-1) got double-doubles from Miami transfer Norchad Omier (18 points and 10 rebounds) and freshman VJ Edgecombe (13 points and 10 rebounds). They haven’t trailed in their two games since a 38-point loss in a top-10 matchup at Gonzaga, including a win over then-No. 16 Arkansas.