Kansas dropped its second exhibition of the three they were set to play before the start of the regular season. This loss came at the hands of the preseason No. 2 team, the Duke Blue Devils, and it was the final time we will see the Jayhawks on the court before the games really start to count.
After starting off a bit slow in the first two exhibitions, five-star No. 1 2026 prospect Tyran Stokes put on a show in front of the crowd in Allen Fieldhouse. In 37 minutes, more than anyone else Bill Self had on the court, Stokes put up 27 points, hitting his first two three-pointers in exhibition play, and yet again finding a lot of success at the free-throw line.
After the game, though, Stokes was seen walking through the tunnel to the locker room with the rest of the team, visibly frustrated. Even after a great game for himself, Stokes wasn't happy to leave the court with a loss, especially in the last game before the regular season.
Kansas loses to Duke 90-84 in the Blue Blood Classic exhibition game.
— Kole Emplit (@KoleEmplit) October 25, 2026
Tyran Stokes visibly frustrated heading into the locker room.#kubball pic.twitter.com/iTTjHrVv8h
Now, of course, Stokes wants to win. He came to Kansas to bring a National Championship back to The Phog for the first time since 2022. Granted, these exhibitions don't matter in the slightest, but Stokes showing that kind of emotion after a loss like this is good for fans to see.
Tyran Stokes may not care as much about personal glory as Darryn Peterson did
The problem with Darryn Peterson at Kansas was that it felt like he put his own personal glory ahead of the team, which rubbed a lot of fans and, at times, even his own teammates and coaches the wrong way. To see Stokes upset about this loss, even after he had arguably his best exhibition game of three, is like a breath of fresh air.
There was some worry that Stokes might not live up to the hype after his first two games, but of course, sometimes freshmen just need time to warm up to the college level. The fact that Stokes had a performance like that against the No. 2 team in the country, which arguably could be No. 1, is great.
Stokes wasn't the only freshman to have a great performance. His fellow classmate, Taylen Kinney, was the second-leading scorer for the Jayhawks off the bench with 14 points, proving that these two could be a tough duo for opposing defenses to stop.
Kansas will now focus on the regular season, opening its 2026-2027 campaign against Fordham and Middle Tennessee at home. The first real test will be against Kentucky on November 10 in the State Farm Champions Classic.
Add us as a preferred source on Google