Kentucky vs. Duke Champions Classic Odds, Preview and Prediction (Archive)
Two of the bluest of college basketball blue bloods will tip off the 2021-22 season on Tuesday night in the main event of the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden.
Duke will begin the final season for coach Mike Krzyzewski after four decades and more than 1100 wins by facing Kentucky in a top 10 matchup.
Last season, both teams put the blue in blue bloods. Duke missed the NCAA tournament for the first time in a quarter-century, and Kentucky had its worst record in more than nine decades.
Kentucky Wildcats vs. Duke Blue Devils
Tuesday, November 9, 2021 – 9:30 PM EST at Madison Square Garden
Kentucky Rebuilds With Veterans
Duke and Kentucky were the two poster children for the one-and-done era, but, with the NBA’s G-League offering top high school talent an option other than a year in school, both programs have taken steps away from the one-and-done model.
This is the most veteran-laden Kentucky team in recent memory, although most of the players had their college experience elsewhere, as Coach Cal embraced the transfer portal to assemble this year’s squad.
Former West Virginia big man Oscar Tshiebwe will man the middle for Kentucky after averaging close to a double-double in two years under Bob Huggins. Davidson’s 2,000 point scorer Kellan Grady and former Georgia point guard Sahvir Wheeler are also expected to start. Kentucky also returns junior Keion Brooks, one of the few Wildcats to last at least three years in Big Blue. Kentucky even has a super senior of its own, in shooter Davion Mintz.
That doesn’t mean Calipari has ignored the recruiting trail. His freshman class includes TyTy Washington, who hit all six of his three-point attempts in Kentucky’s two exhibition games, as well as highly-rated rookies Daimion Collins and Bryce Hopkins.
One Last Run Under Coach K
Krzyzewski announced his plans to retire following the season and turn the program over to top assistant Jon Scheyer. Coach K has tried to take a business as usual approach to the season, even banning the use of the term “final” in the Blue Devils locker room.
Still, this will be Duke’s last game in Madison Square Garden under Krzyzewski, assuming the Blue Devils don’t make the NIT Final Four in March. The Garden has been a home away from home for Duke, and the team will be motivated to send K out a winner at the World’s Most Famous Arena.
Duke is looking to shake off last season’s 13-11 record, and will do it with a combination of experienced leadership and a strong freshman class. The Blue Devils will also have an impressive stable of big men in the post, something new for Duke under Krzyzewski.
Returning sophomore Mark Williams broke out down the stretch last season and will be one of the Blue Devils top options this year. He’s a shot blocker, rebounder and scorer in the post and will have a three-inch height advantage over Tshiebwe.
Freshman Paolo Banchero could be the top pick in next spring’s NBA Draft. He has a grown man’s body and the ability to run the floor and ball handle like a guard, despite being 6-foot-10, 250 pounds. Barring a shocking development, he’ll be Duke’s top scorer and the name circled on every opponent’s scouting report.
The Blue Devils also have Marquette graduate transfer Theo John, a defensive force, to provide depth in the paint.
Duke is known for its perimeter players and slashing scorers, and the Blue Devils have plenty of those, including rising junior Wendell Moore Jr., senior sharpshooter Joey Baker, and sophomore point guard Jeremy Roach. Freshman guard Trevor Keels will also fill it up on offense, and highly rated freshman wing AJ Griffin has the potential to be a star, although he’s recovering from a preseason injury.
The Pick
Duke will have the best player on the court in Banchero, and the top two Blue Devil scoring options are both bigger than the tallest player in the Kentucky rotation. For our NCAAB pick, look for the Blue Devils to take advantage of an edge in talent and the heavy emotional edge of playing for Coach K’s last run.
NCAAB Pick: Duke -1 (-108) with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.