2024 NBA Draft: Previewing the Champions Classic

Tonight begins the yearly Champions Classic, where we get to see some of the four best teams in all of college basketball play against each other in back-to-back games.

The first game will be Duke versus Michigan State and the second game will be Kentucky versus Kansas. Let’s dive into each team playing in tonight’s event:

Duke Blue Devils

Duke is the No. 9-ranked team in the country, led by the potential national player of the year and projected first round pick, Kyle Filipowski.

Filipowski is off to a phenomenal start to the season as he’s averaging 25 points and nearly eight rebounds in two games played. Filipowski was a walking double-double machine last season and will need to continue to build off of that and make a statement game tonight.

The guard play will be key for the Blue Devils as they have multiple guys who can create in Tyrese Proctor, Jeremy Roach, Jared McCain and Caleb Foster. Duke will need at least three of these guards to perform well if they want to comfortably handle business. Duke is coming off a loss at home versus Arizona so it’ll be vital for Duke to win this game if they are looking to remain in the AP top 25.

Michigan State Spartans

The Michigan State Spartans are a team to really keep an eye on heading into this game.

The expectations for the Spartans have fluctuated after losing their first game of the season at home versus James Madison in overtime. The fifth year senior point guard, Tyson Walker is off to a hot start to the season as he’s averaging 24.5 points in his two games played and he’s the only player on the roster currently averaging double digit points.

Walker will need to continue his high level play if he wants to help keep his team in the game versus the Blue Devils. It’ll be interesting to see how much action five-star freshman Xavier Booker will get in this game as he brings high level skill and size at 6-foot-10. He’s only averaging 11 minutes per game in his two games played so don’t expect a ton of minutes by the young big, but you should definitely keep an eye on the flashes he will show in this game if Tom Izzo elects to play him.

Kentucky Wildcats

The Kentucky Wildcats have one of the most talented and youngest rosters in all of college basketball as the majority of their roster is made up of freshmen which isn’t anything new for Kentucky. Heading into their first big game of the season versus the top team in the country, what should we even expect from this young team? Kentucky will be without three of their seven footers in Aaron Bradshaw, Ugonna Onyenso and Zvonimir Ivisic.

The tallest player is Tre Mitchell who stands at 6-foot-10 and will be defending one of the most skilled post scorers in college basketball in Hunter Dickinson who stands at 7-foot-1. The Wildcats will need their young guards to get consistent paint touches while also consistently hitting 3-point jumpers if they want to have a great shot at winning. Mitchell staying out of foul trouble will be crucial for the Wildcats heading into tonight’s game.

Kansas Jayhawks

Kansas is the No. 1-ranked team in the country led by transfer center Hunter Dickinson. This Jayhawks squad is quite exciting as they have two high level lead guards in Dajuan Harris Jr and Elmarko Jackson, one of the best defensive wings in all of college basketball in Kevin McCullar Jr and KJ Adams who is a phenomenal fit next to the skilled big man, Dickinson. The major question for Kansas heading into this season is if they have the bench depth to stick with squads.

Dickinson will be a mismatch problem for Kentucky as he will likely see a lot of double teams today so we will see his vision showcased throughout the night. The big question for this squad is if they have enough consistent shooting in their starting lineup to blow high level teams out.

Their sixth man, Nicolas Timberlake could be an underrated X-Factor heading into tonight’s game that some analysts won’t be talking about enough.

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.