Kansas Leads Duke at Halftime in Blue Blood Classic
The Jayhawks hold a narrow 45-43 advantage over the Blue Devils entering the second half of exhibition play.
Updated on Oct. 25, 2026 in Basketball
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Kansas leads Duke 45-43 at halftime in the Blue Blood Classic exhibition game at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks closed the first half with momentum following a layup from Tyran Stokes to take the lead.
Why it matters
This exhibition contest serves as a high-stakes test for both programs as they finalize their rotations and integrate new talent before the regular season begins. The narrow margin highlights the competitive parity between the two storied basketball programs during this early phase of the year.
Kansas finished the first half shooting 7 of 13 from the free-throw line. The team also benefited from a stretch of seven unanswered points to help erase a double-digit deficit established by Duke earlier in the half.
The players
Kansas
The University of Kansas men's basketball program is a perennial powerhouse in the Big 12 Conference that competes annually for national championships.
Duke
The Duke University men's basketball team is a historically elite program in the Atlantic Coast Conference known for its consistent success at the national level.
Tyran Stokes
Tyran Stokes is a player for Kansas who contributed a late-half layup to help his team secure the halftime lead.
Keanu Dawes
Keanu Dawes is a Kansas player who hit a critical three-pointer to tie the game at 40-37 during the first half.
The details
After trailing by as much as 28-17 following consecutive Duke three-pointers, Kansas mounted a comeback behind a momentum-shifting three-pointer from Keanu Dawes that leveled the score at 40-40. Key contributors Kohl Rosario and Trey Kauffman-Renn are notably absent from the Kansas lineup for this matchup.
Timeline
The first half of the exhibition game concluded on October 25, 2026.
Season Trajectory
This exhibition serves as a benchmark for how these programs compare to elite competition before the regular season schedule officially begins. The result of this game helps set the tone for postseason bracket projections and early-year rankings for both schools.
With Kohl Rosario and Trey Kauffman-Renn unavailable, Kansas is forced to rely on a tighter rotation for the remainder of the exhibition. Coaches will likely use the second half to evaluate the efficiency of bench players who are seeing increased minutes due to these absences.
The takeaway
Early-season exhibition games provide critical data for coaching staffs to identify rotation weaknesses and areas for improvement. Fans should monitor second-half lineups to see how the teams adjust their strategies when key players are sidelined.
Further reading
For more on the latest team developments, visit the Basketball section.
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