Jay Williams makes his feelings crystal clear on Hunter Dickinson's ejection vs Duke
Former NBA player Jay Williams was not happy about Hunter Dickinson's foul on Duke's Maliq Brown during top-ranked Kansas' 75-72 win over the No. 11 Blue Devils on Tuesday. Dickinson was ejected from the game in the second half after he kicked Brown in the face while the two were on the floor.
Williams, a former Duke player, took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his displeasure at Dickinson's actions.
"Just a dirty play by Hunter Dickinson...you guys know how I feel about people kicking people," he tweeted.
Despite the ejection, Kansas (6-0) won, with strong performances from Dajuan Harris Jr. who led the Jayhawks with 14 points, and Zeke Mayo, who added 12.
Kansas coach Bill Self reacts to Hunter Dickinson's ejection for kicking Maliq Brown in Jayhawks' win vs. Duke
No. 1 Kansas secured a narrow 75-72 victory against No. 11 Duke on Tuesday night. However, Kansas star center Hunter Dickinson's actions were a subject of controversy that lingered after the game.
Dickinson was ejected in the second half after he kicked Duke guard Maliq Brown in the face while the two were on the floor. Dickinson had missed a short jump hook over Brown which resulted in both players hitting the floor and fighting for a rebound.
Initially called a flagrant-1 foul, a lengthy monitor review determined Dickinson committed a flagrant-2, resulting in his ejection, and he was escorted to the locker room.
Kansas coach Bill Self spoke about his player's actions and subsequent ejection.
"I thought it was a good call," Self said per ESPN. "I thought the flagrant-2 may have been a little severe. I thought it was definitely a flagrant-1. ... I didn't think at the moment that it warranted a level-2, but I do think it needed to be called."
"The explanation was that it was intentional and his head went to the ground, which is probably accurate," Self later added. "But I didn't think it was enough to warrant that. But the bottom line is it did and it'll probably be the best thing to happen to us that it did because it'll teach him a good lesson and also it'll give some other kids some confidence."
Dickinson had 11 points, six rebounds and three assists. Although he was productive, he struggled to get past a Brown and Khaman Maluach defense. After his ejection, Kansas led 57-55 with about 10-and-a-half minutes left. Freshman forward Flory Bidunga came on as backup and finished with six points and eight rebounds to help the Jayhawks win.