Freshman Tyran Stokes posts 23 and 10 as Kansas routs Kentucky 89-69

Kansas freshman Tyran Stokes posted his first college double-double on Tuesday night, scoring 23 points with 10 rebounds and four assists as No. 15 Kansas beat No. 24 Kentucky 89-69 in the Champions Classic at Chicago's United Center.

The game carried extra weight for him. Stokes, an 18-year-old from Louisville, turned down Kentucky to sign with Kansas, and Mark Pope recruited him hard out of high school, per KU Sports and On3. He played 32 minutes, shot 8-of-19 from the field and 4-of-8 from three, and made all three of his free throws, per the ESPN box score. Tre White led Kansas with a career-high 30 points on 11-of-16 shooting.

His night started slowly. Stokes missed his first two threes and a layup, then drove a 15-2 Kansas run with a three-point play inside, a three, a deep jumper, a dunk and an assist to Christian Reeves, per KU Sports. He had 13 points at halftime with Kansas up 46-36. Two more threes early in the second half made it 56-41, and Kansas led by as many as 23.

That is a big step up from his first two games. He scored 15 against Fordham and eight against Middle Tennessee, both at Allen Fieldhouse, per his ESPN game log. Tuesday was his first game against a ranked team, his first double-double and his highest-scoring night.

Kansas did it without Melvin Council Jr. The veteran guard broke a bone in his right foot at practice Monday and could return around the start of Big 12 play, according to the AP. Even without him, Kansas had 24 assists on 32 made baskets.

Kentucky got 24 points from Zoom Diallo and 19 points and 10 rebounds from Malachi Moreno. The Wildcats shot 4-of-21 from three, and Kansas scored 22 points off their turnovers.

Kansas is 3-0 and plays UNLV next Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, part of the Players Era event. Keep an eye on his outside shot. Stokes is 5-of-12 from three this season, and if that holds up, Kansas has a freshman who can hurt defenses from anywhere on the floor.