CHICAGO — Andrew Wiggins soared toward the hoop as Jabari Parker made one last attempt to stop his fellow freshman star.
No such luck. Wiggins owned the end of Parker’s impressive homecoming.
The Kansas star scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half, outplaying Parker down the stretch and helping the fifth-ranked Jayhawks knock off No. 4 Duke 94-83 on Tuesday night.
Parker, a former prep star at nearby Simeon High School, had 27 points, nine rebounds and two steals in a spectacular return to his hometown. But it was Wiggins who made the biggest plays in the final minutes of a taut thriller between two storied programs.
Wiggins drained a stepback jumper to give the Jayhawks an 85-81 lead with 1:33 to go, and then had a fast-break dunk while being fouled by a trailing Parker. Wiggins held his arms out and yelled after the big dunk, delighting the raucous crowd at the United Center. Parker headed to the bench with his fifth foul.
Perry Ellis finished with 24 points and Wayne Selden had 15 for the Jayhawks (2-0), who went 27 for 35 at the foul line, compared to 16 of 28 for the Blue Devils. Wiggins also had eight rebounds despite battling foul trouble for much of the game.
Kansas scored 17 of the final 23 points after Rasheed Sulaimon made a jumper for Duke that tied it at 77 with 3:50 left.
Amile Jefferson had 17 points for Duke (1-1), which dropped to 7-3 in the all-time series against Kansas. Rodney Hood scored 11 points.
The 10th meeting of two of college basketball’s most successful programs was an absolute classic, an unbelievably well-played game for mid-November. After No. 2 Michigan State held on for a 78-74 victory over top-ranked Kentucky in the first game of the Champions Classic, the Blue Devils and Jayhawks put on their own show in front of a pro-Kansas crowd filled with breathless NBA personnel drooling over the possibilities for next year’s draft.
Billed as Parker versus Wiggins, it was clear from the start there was much more talent on the floor than just the precocious freshmen stars. Jamari Traylor, another Chicago native, had an early block for Kansas and then hustled down to the other end for a trailing dunk. Hood made a jumper and helped set up Jefferson for a layup that made it 26-all.
That’s when Parker began to take over.
The 6-foot-8 forward scored 12 of Duke’s next 14 points, showing off his smooth, versatile game. He had two layups and two free throws before closing the stretch with 3-pointers on consecutive trips down the floor for the Blue Devils, leading to a respectful silence from the vocal Kansas fans. Quinn Cook then made two foul shots with 43 seconds left to give Duke a 42-40 halftime lead.
Playing with a new, sleek haircut, Wiggins picked up his second foul with 9:30 left in the first half and spent much of the early going on the sideline. He had six points on 3-of-5 shooting at the break to go along with three rebounds and a blocked shot.
He began to pick it up early in the second half, making a jumper on Kansas’ first possession. He also had a nice fast-break basket off a pass from Frank Mason, tying it at 51 with 15½ minutes left.
Parker was only getting started, too. He had a towering one-handed jam off an alley-oop from Cook, looking very much like Grant Hill from his days in Durham.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
