Tuesday night’s Champions Classic at the United Center is a perfect reminder for college basketball fans not to wait until March to follow along.
The sport’s marquee nonconference event this year features four of the top seven teams in the nation. No. 1 Duke tips off against No. 2 Michigan State at 6 p.m., followed by No. 4 Kansas against No. 7 Kentucky.
Here are some storylines to know for each game:
Duke (2-0) vs. Michigan State (1-0)
•Duke has the freshman dynamos. Michigan State has players who have been through this.
The Blue Devils start four freshmen, three of whom were McDonald’s All-Americans. The fourth, Marvin Bagley III, reclassified into the Class of 2017 after having been the top-rated 2018 recruit.
They didn’t disappoint in the first two games. Bagley averaged 24.5 points and 10 rebounds and shot 65.7 percent, becoming the first Duke freshman to record double-doubles in his first two games.
Senior captain Grayson Allen is the only returning player among the Blue Devils’ top six scorers.
The Spartans had freshmen in key roles when these teams met last season at Duke in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. Miles Bridges was held to 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting in that game. He had 20 points and 10 rebounds in Michigan State’s opener against North Florida.
•Michigan State coach Tom Izzo recently joked that he’s 1-100 against Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski. Not quite. But Coach K, who recorded his 1,000th victory at Duke on Saturday, does hold a 10-1 record against his colleague. Duke beat Michigan State 74-69 in the 2011 Champions Classic in New York and won again 81-71 in 2014 in Indianapolis. The atmosphere should be lively as this is only the second time the Nos. 1 and 2 teams will meet in the Classic. Michigan State beat top-ranked Kentucky 78-74 in 2013 at the United Center.
•Each team has its weaknesses. The Spartans were sloppy in the opener with 21 turnovers, including five by Nick Ward. They also shot 3 of 12 on 3-pointers. Duke’s depth could be an issue. The Spartans will work to get the freshmen in foul trouble. Outside of the starting five and sophomore center Marques Bolden — who sat out the opener with strep throat and played only seven minutes Saturday — it’s hard to see where the Blue Devils will get their scoring when they need an extra boost.
Prediction: Michigan State 88, Duke 82.
Kansas (1-0) vs. Kentucky (2-0)
•Is Kentucky as vulnerable as it has looked?
The Wildcats struggled against their first two opponents, beating Utah Valley 73-63 after trailing by nine at halftime and defeating Vermont 73-69. The Catamounts pulled as close as three and missed three shots in the final 1 minute, 14 seconds that could have tied the game.
Inexperience was a factor as the Wildcats start five freshmen. It’s hard to imagine a huge stage like the United Center and facing one of the best teams in the nation won’t be a struggle.
•Who’s going to stop Devonte Graham? The Kansas senior leader can do it all on the court. In the opener against Tennessee State, he recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 12 assists while adding seven rebounds and three steals. Although All-American Frank Mason is gone from last season’s squad, the Jayhawks still have a strong backcourt with Graham and Malik Newman, a Mississippi State transfer.
•Kentucky has won both previous meetings in the Champions Classic, taking down the Jayhawks in 2011 and 2014 by double digits in both games. Don’t expect a loss to derail either team from its season goals. These early blue-blood matchups tend to pay off for both teams.
Prediction: Kansas 78, Kentucky 65.
Twitter @sryantribune
