Kansas Star Hunter Dickinson Gets Ejected After Kicking Duke Player's Face
Kansas lost All-American center Hunter Dickinson to an ejection in the second half of Tuesday's game against Duke.
Dickinson, a former Big Ten Freshman of the Year, was hit with a Flagrant 2 for kicking Duke forward Maliq Brown in the face. They were both on the ground when this happened. Although it was considered a judgement call since it's tough to say what his intent was on the play, the refs ultimately decided to eject him.
Unsurprisingly, Kansas coach Bill Self was furious with the officiating crew. He thought they made a ridiculous decision in a game of this magnitude.
Dickinson finished Tuesday's game with 11 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Here's the play that resulted in Dickinson getting ejected:
There's no doubt that Dickinson will be asked about his ejection after this game is over. It'll be interesting to hear what he has to say about it.
Judging by the reactions on social media, people are torn about Dickinson's ejection.
"It’s pretty hard to out-villain Duke, so kudos to Hunter Dickinson for pulling off the improbable," one fan wrote on X.
"I'm not a huge Kansas fan but Hunter Dickinson should not have been ejected. The Duke player took him down and in the scramble Dickinson foot hit the Duke player in the head. Seems excessive," another fan said.
"F2 is well deserved there is intent and a clear kicking motion. Dirty dirty play by Hunter Dickinson," a third fan tweeted.
Dickinson's ejection will certainly cast a shadow over this game, regardless of the final result.
Do you think the referees made the right call?