Tag: Michael Ajayi

Duke finalizing agreement to take on Kansas in Las Vegas for neutral site game, per Jon Rothstein

Duke and Kansas are finalizing an agreement for a non-conference matchup in November.

Duke’s already challenging non-conference schedule for 2024 is about to get even more difficult.

Jon Scheyer and his soon-to-be-revamped Blue Devils team will take on another college basketball blue blood in Kansas this November.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, one of college basketball’s biggest insiders, confirmed that the two legendary programs are in the process of finalizing a November matchup in Las Vegas.

No official announcement is imminent, and a date and time have yet to be decided upon, but things are in motion behind the scenes.

The last time these two titans faced off was in the Champions Classic in 2022, Jon Scheyer’s first season as Duke’s head coach following the departure of Coach K. Kansas went on to win that game 69-64 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The Jayhawks finished the game on a 15-5 run over the final 4:37. In total, Duke is 8-6 all-time against the Jayhawks.

Bill Self will bring a revamped roster as he looks to improve upon a less-than-stellar season by Kansas standards. The Jayhawks made the Sweet 16, but they were often injured and didn’t have the depth necessary to compete.

The Jayhawks have been aggressive and active in the transfer portal, landing new names like AJ Storr, Zeke Mayo, and Michael Ajayi for their roster. They also are returning Hunter Dickinson and Dajuan Harris.

If the two schools reach a final agreement, Duke will play Arizona, Kentucky, and Kansas as part of its non-conference schedule in 2024.

UCLA reaches out to Pepperdine transfer Michael Ajayi

UCLA in touch with Pepperdine transfer Michael Ajayi.

Just hours after Selection Sunday, the transfer portal opened in college basketball. Not even one day later, a ton of names have been entered into the portal as we await the first day of NCAA Tournament games.

Pepperdine transfer Michael Ajayi is one player that UCLA has reached out to already, as Joe Tipton of On3 reports. Other programs that reached out to Ajayi so far include Indiana, Kansas, Arizona, Arkansas, Baylor, Gonzaga,  Virginia, Ole Miss, USC, and Xavier.

Ajayi averaged 17.2 points and 9.9 rebounds for Pepperdine this past season and was the leading scorer for the Waves. He is a junior and is an attractive player in the portal for a number of schools, and there is already stiff competition for him.

Ajayi shot 47 percent from three this season and had 30 points with 17 rebounds against Pacific on February 21. He is a double-double machine that can shoot from downtown, so there should be a ton of offers coming his way.