It’s not every year that the Kentucky Wildcats and the Duke Blue Devils – two of the giants of the college basketball world – meet. That’s why this Champions Classic game is quite the college basketball spectacle.
It’s John Calipari vs. Mike Krzyzewski; one-and-dones vs. one-and-dones; SEC hotshot vs. the defending national champion; No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 5 Duke. Find your seat, sit back, and enjoy tonight’s heavyweight matchup between two national championship contenders.
Read on for more about this game. You can also click here for the preview of Kansas vs. Michigan State.
[sc:MarchMadness ]Kentucky Wildcats vs. Duke Blue Devils Preview
Where: United Center, Chicago
When: Tuesday, November 17, 7:30 PM ET
Line: Kentucky Wildcats vs. Duke Blue Devils – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Kentucky Wildcats (2-0, 0-0 SEC)
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]The first two games for Kentucky have been a breeze, and that includes the Wildcats’ 87-57 demolition job of the NJIT Highlanders on Saturday. If Kentucky is looking for a real challenge, then it’ll get one this Tuesday, when the Wildcats square off with defending champion Duke in Chicago.
The Wildcats flashed their might in the NJIT game by playing excellent defense and having an easy time finding the basket. Highly touted recruit forward Skal Labissiere had 26 points for the Wildcats, who shot 46.4 percent from the field and massively outrebounded the Highlanders, 54-23.
UK also got a big hand from Isaiah Briscoe, who had a double-double of 11 points and a team-high 12 boards after missing the opener against Albany because of a bruised knee. All told, it was a noticeable improvement in play for the Wildcats, who looked a bit sluggish in their previous game against the Great Danes.
Along with Labissiere and Briscoe, Kentucky will also look for guards Jamal Murray and Tyler Ulis to perform after dismal efforts versus NJIT. Murray was instrumental in the Wildcats’ victory over Albany with 19 points, but only had eight opposite the Highlanders. Ulis, on the other hand, had a bad-shooting night, as the sophomore guard went 1-for-8 from the field and finished with only five points.
Defense, however, should be atop the priority list of the Wildcats against Duke. The Blue Devils can flat out score, as they have averaged 102.5 points on 49.6 FG% over their last two games. Rebounding and defending against Duke’s perimeter shooters is not an easy task, but Kentucky has the length (Labissiere, Derek Willis, Alex Poythress) and talent to do just that. This early in the season, Kentucky is holding its opponents to only 37.2% shooting from the field. Furthermore, the Wildcats are 58th in the nation with 61 points allowed per contest.
The over is 2-0 in Kentucky’s last two outings.
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Betting on the Duke Blue Devils (2-0, 0-0 ACC)
Grayson Allen is fast proving that he’s more than just a March Madness fluke. The sophomore guard has been the clear leader of Duke post-Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones, as Allen is leading the team with 27.0 PPG thus far this season.
In the Blue Devils 113-75 annihilation of Bryant on Saturday, Allen followed up his 26-point explosion in the opener against Siena by dropping 28 points on 8-for-18 shooting, including three triples. Allen has been hot from the outside, going 5-for-12 (41.7%) from beyond the arc.
While Allen compiled those numbers against lowly mid-major teams, he’ll certainly have his back marked by Kentucky’s defense.
Fortunately for Duke, Allen isn’t the only one who’s doing work on offense. Four more Dukies are averaging in double figures scoring this season namely, Brandon Ingram (18.0 PPG), Amile Jefferson (15.0 PPG), Matt Jones (14.5 PPG), and Luke Kennard (10.0 PPG).
Jefferson, who scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds against Siena, would be just as needed on defense as he’s on offense, though, as he’ll join Marshall Plumlee in trying to clean up the glass and in keeping the Wildcats out of the paint. Jefferson tops the team with 11.5 rebounds per game. Plumlee’s not much of a scorer (8.5 PPG), but is a key defensive piece for Duke, as reflected by his 8.5 RPG and 2.5 BPG.
After going a poor 6-for-25 in their three-point attempts in the opener, Duke rediscovered its stroke and went 13-for-26 against Bryant to improve its season three-point shooting percentage to 37.3.
Duke is 8-0 SU in its last eight games, dating back to last March’s National Tournament.
Writer’s Prediction
Duke wins, 76-69.
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