Hunter Dickinson ejected for Flagrant 2 foul vs. Duke after controversial review

Kansas forward Hunter Dickinson was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul against Duke after a lengthy review. He appeared to kick Duke forward Maliq Brown in the head as they fought for a rebound.

Dickinson and Brown went up for a board with 10:26 to play in the second half of Saturday’s Vegas Showdown game. In the battle for the ball, Dickinson hit Brown on the side of his head with his right foot, which was initially deemed a Flagrant 1.

However, the referees went to the monitor and upgraded it to a Flagrant 2. That meant Dickinson was ejected for the remainder of the game.

Hunter Dickinson just got EJECTED 😳pic.twitter.com/RdgrH4Q6Dc

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) November 27, 2024

On the ESPN broadcast, Fran Fraschilla expressed his surprise at the decision to upgrade the foul to a Flagrant 2. He disagreed, saying he would’ve stayed at a Flagrant 1, based on how he saw it.

“The rule is, it has to be severe and extreme,” Fraschilla told Karl Ravech. “I would’ve given it a Flagrant 1, it’s a dead-ball technical. I’m surprised it’s a Flagrant 2. … They felt that it was severe and extreme. I felt it was excessive, which is a Flagrant 1.”

Hunter Dickinson was in the midst of another impressive game for Kansas at the time of his ejection. He had 11 points, six rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes of action. He initially stayed on the bench after the referees ejected him, but at the next media timeout, was escorted to the locker room. By rule, players cannot be on the bench after an ejection.

Kansas entered Tuesday’s game as the No. 1 team in the nation with a 5-0 record, including a home victory over North Carolina at Phog Allen Fieldhouse earlier this season. The Jayhawks faced another tall task with Duke, though, led by projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg. After Dickinson’s departure, the Blue Devils made a run and eventually took a lead heading into the under-4 minute media timeout.