The Champions Classic, an annual rotating matchup and site doubleheader featuring Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State and Kansas, has been a major tent pole of the early college basketball season. This year’s doubleheader will be appointment viewing, but those are not the only great games on the slate.
I figured I would help you enhance your viewing experience by giving you my picks against the spread for the night’s best games. I got off to a good start my first time out, and I intend to stay above .500 all season long. Play me, fade me, but you definitely want to read me. Here you go:
Florida at Florida State
Seth’s Analysis
The Gators are who we thought they were. They are huge inside, and though three-point shooting was supposed to be their Achilles’ heel, they’ve buried 43.1 percent of their attempts from behind the arc through the first two games. That elite front line will have its collective hands full with the Seminoles’ imposing freshman center Marcis Ponder, who is averaging 12.5 points and 10.5 rebounds. FSU’s second-year coach Luke Loucks has turbo-charged his team’s offense to the tune of 102.0 points per game against Florida A&M and Troy, but this will be a major step up in competition. The Seminoles shot 28.8 percent from three on an average of 26 attempts those first two games. That makes me envision a lot of long rebounds, which makes me expect a lot of Gator breakaways, which makes me anticipate a Florida rout.
Duke vs. Michigan State
Seth’s Analysis
Each of these teams blitzed a pair of overmatched opponents in week one, so this will be a much better barometer of their respective strengths and weaknesses. The Spartans have arguably the best point guard in the country in Jeremy Fears, but they are smaller and less deep up front than we’re used to seeing from Tom Izzo’s teams over the years. That is, shall we say, a big problem against a Duke team that once again is one of the tallest teams in the country (No. 4 on KenPom in average height). Blue Devils junior center Patrick Ngongba, a 6-foot-11 250-pound man-child, did not appear on many preseason All-America lists (including mine), but his hot start (19.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game on 2 for 4 three-point shooting) augurs that he might be on a few postseason ones. I also like the defensive matchup of Duke’s 6-foot-4 sophomore point guard Cayden Boozer on the 6-foot-2 Fears. Michigan State has talent and experience, but like a lot of teams this time of year the Spartans are still forging their identity. Duke is just too big and too deep.
Memphis at Vanderbilt
Seth’s Analysis
Penny Hardaway is entering his ninth season at his alma mater facing all the usual uncomfortable questions, but his Tigers came up with a couple of good answers in wins over Iowa State and VCU by a combined five points. Hardaway has a big-time player in 5-foot-10 senior guard Jayden Reid. The transfer from Northwestern followed up his 26-point performance against Iowa State by hanging a career-high 32 points (to go along with 7 assists) in the win over VCU. That should make for an intriguing matchup against Commodores guard Tyler Tanner, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds in a 74-51 rout of Wake Forest. Vandy also got 16 points off the bench in that game from prized freshman Anthony Brown Jr. Memphis depends on turning opponents over, and those opportunities might not be plentiful against Tanner. But the Tigers are a good team, and this is an in-state rivalry. Vandy wins, but this line is way too big.
Illinois at Texas Tech
Seth’s Analysis
I don’t care who the opponent is, it is hard to beat a Division I team by 75 points. That’s what the Illini did to poor FDU in their opener, and they weren’t much nicer to Penn in winning by 42. And those were done without their best offensive player, sophomore forward David Mirkovic, who is out following foot surgery and an appendectomy. The Illini will face a lot more resistance from the Red Raiders, who scored easy wins as well over Jackson State and Bethune-Cookman. Grant McCasland has added a few really good transfers (UNLV’s Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn and Hofstra’s Cruz Davis among them) as well as a few five-in-fivers in Donovan Atwell, Darrion Williams and Jamichael Stillwell, who just gained his eligibility via a TRO issued late last week. This game is in Lubbock where the Red Raiders are hard to beat, but that also means the point spread is smaller than it should be. I listed Illinois-to-win-the-championship as my top futures bet for the season, and until I see otherwise I will remain a true believer in this team.
Kansas vs. Kentucky
Seth’s Analysis
Big Blue Nation got a little restless when their Wildcats fell behind James Madison by two points with 14 minutes to play last Friday, but Kentucky rallied to an 89-80 win behind 16 points each from transfers Zoom Diallo (Washington) and Alex Wilkins (Furman). The fact that Kentucky won despite Milan Momcilovic shooting 1 for 8 from three is actually a pretty good sign, but the Cats will have to be a lot more efficient at both ends if they’re going to knock off Kansas. The Jayhawks were already looking promising heading into the season, but now with the addition of fifth-year seniors Tre White, Melvin Council Jr. and especially Trey Kaufman-Renn, they have the makings of a Final Four squad. Kaufman-Renn, who was an All-Big Ten forward at Purdue, has only been with the program for a few weeks, and he averaged 13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists through the Jayhawks’ first two games. I worry about Kansas’ chemistry issues with all the new players, but if Kentucky had a hard time putting away JMU at home, I don’t see the Cats faring well against a far superior opponent.
Last week: 3-2
Season record: 3-2
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