On Tuesday night in New York, the Kansas Jayhawks dropped to 3–2 after suffering a 78–66 loss to the Duke Blue Devils (5–0) in the 15th annual Champions Classic.
Although it was a 12-point loss, the game was much closer than the final score suggests and could be considered a moral victory for KU, which was playing without the NBA’s No. 1 prospect, Darryn Peterson. Expectations at Kansas are always high, but last night was one of the few times in recent history that the Jayhawks entered a game as a double-digit underdog.
The team displayed promising traits and offered many reasons for optimism, but also showed clear areas that will require significant improvement if the Jayhawks want to achieve their ultimate goal this season.