Bill Self reacts to Hunter Dickinson ejection following win over Duke

Bill Self had difficult lineup decisions to make down the stretch against Duke. The Kansas head coach was working without star player Hunter Dickinson due to an ejection. A Flagrant 2 foul was called against Dickinson in the second half, making him watch the final 10 minutes of the game from the locker room.

The decision to slap Dickinson with a Flagrant 2 was not one Self agreed with. During his postgame press conference, Self said the penalty should have been a Flagrant 1. This would have given Duke two shots and the ball but been a massive boost for Kansas as Dickinson would have remained in the game.

“Bill Self said he thought the Hunter Dickinson incident warranted a flagrant foul — but he thought it should have been a Flagrant-1, not a Flagrant-2,” ESPN’s Jeff Borzello said via X.

Dickinson finished with 24 minutes played, recording 11 points on 4-11 shooting. The big man also secured six rebounds and dished out three assists. You have to imagine had Dickinson remained in the game, he would have trended toward his fourth double-double of the season.

ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg gave his thoughts on the moment following the game as well. Greenberg’s opinion differed from Self’s, saying there was intent in kicking Maliq Brown in the face. Even while watching the replay in the postgame show, his opinion only grew.

“He got fouled and it’s a Flagrant 2,” Greenberg said. “What was his intent? You see him roll over and the foot came down. I mean, that is intent right there. That’s just the way it is.”

Kansas wound up surviving without Dickinson, squeaking out a three-point win against Duke. It’s been a brutal schedule early in the year for Self but his team has pulled through every time. The Jayhawks are now 6-0 and the undisputed No. 1 team in the country.

Dickinson will be back out on the court next time Kansas plays. Allen Fieldhouse will welcome Furman on Saturday evening, a potentially lighter game for them. Not his best moment but Dickinson will continue to play a big role as the season progresses in Lawrence.