For the first 20 minutes of play especially, and the whole game, really, it would be hard to imagine a better basketball player than Jabari Parker. But despite the Parker show, the game stayed close until the wire. The No. 5 Jawhawks prevailed over No. 4 Duke 94-83.
Neither team had more than a five-point lead in the second half until the final two minutes of the game. The Blue Devils shot 16-of-28 (57.1 percent) from the free throw line and missed on the front end of of three one-and-ones in the first half. That made the difference.
Parker led all scorers with 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting. He also led Duke with nine rebounds and three steals and also recorded Duke’s only block. Amile Jefferson added 17. Perry Eillis led Kansas with 24 points of his own.
Meanwhile, Andrew Wiggins sat much of the first half with two fouls. Wiggins finished with six first-half points in nine minutes. He was much more aggressive in the second half and finished with 22 points and eight rebounds.