It’s finally here, ladies and gents. College basketball season is upon us, and what better way to kick things off than a battle of the blue bloods Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in the Champions Classic, as No. 4 Duke takes on No. 3 Kansas. Duke is 7-5 all-time against Kansas, but coach Bill Self’s squad has won the last three meetings and four of the last five.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is 7-5 against Kansas, while Self is 3-1 against Duke during his tenure with the Jayhawks. Self also lost twice to Duke at Illinois and Tulsa previously. Duke hasn’t lost in the Champions Classic since 2016, though that loss was to Kansas.
Both teams are coming off a good seasons last year. KU finished 26-10 and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, while Duke was one of the best teams in the country, anchored by Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett. Duke finished 32-6 but lost in the Elite Eight. Currently, Kansas is favored by 2.5 points in the matchup, and the over/under is set at 152.5.
Fresh Faces
Duke returns just one starter to the floor this year, but it’s an important one in sophomore point guard Tre Jones. Even on last year’s squad with Williamson and Barrett, Jones made the offense click. Jones averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 assists, and nearly two steals per game, far from pedestrian numbers for a freshman.
Freshman forward Wendell Moore ranked as ESPN’s No. 22 overall recruit and looks to be a big factor this season with Duke, as does freshman guard Cassius Stanley, the No. 32 overall recruit. Duke brings in another monster recruiting class, as those two aren’t even their best prospects.
The other two freshman starters, forward Matthew Hurt and center Vernon Carey Jr., are the Blue Devils’ most highly-touted recruits, ranked Nos. 11 and 6, respectively. Hurt looks to be the threat from deep that Duke has been missing, while Carey plans to bang the boards and pick up much of the slack Williamson left down low.
Familiar Faces
Kansas returns three of its starters from a year ago, including its leader, sophomore point guard Devon Dotson. Dotson averaged 12.3 points and 3.5 assists per game last season. He also has a knack for taking the ball away, as he averaged 1.5 steals per game as well.
Also returning is junior shooting guard Marcus Garrett. While Garrett’s numbers from a year ago were solid, including recording 1.5 steals per game, Self looks for Garrett to spread the floor out more often for the Jayhawks and looks to see big improvements from deep this season. Garrett can guard any position 1-5 to boot, which is an asset, to say the least.
Looking to come into his first season as a backup difference-maker, freshman swingman Christian Braun will play a key reserve role for Kansas. Braun averaged 27.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in high school. He’s an absolutely phenomenal shooter, and Self seems to think he will be an elite scorer for the Jayhawks.
Ready to Rumble
As game time draws nearer, college basketball fans nationwide are getting more pumped by the second. This year’s Champions Classic should be one for the ages; then again, what Duke-Kansas matchup hasn’t been for the ages, or at least touted as such.
While Kansas has recent history on its side with the way it played Duke the past few seasons, the Blue Devils have an overall history and a recruiting class that is second to none, not to mention possibly the greatest college basketball coach of all time. This game should be a close one, but the pick is Duke to cover the 2.5.
