While we have a week of college hoops under our belt, the first big event of the season is always the Champions Classic, which happens on a Tuesday night in early November. It always features the same four teams, and in 2024 well see No. 1 Kansas vs. Michigan State and No. 6 Duke vs. No. 19 Kentucky, with the games taking place in Atlanta. For many fans, it’ll be the first chance to watch the highly touted Cooper Flagg, who is expected to be the top pick in June’s NBA Draft.
Let’s breakdown the games and dish out a best bet from each matchup.
Michigan State vs. Kansas (6:30pm)
This one opened up with the Jayhawks laying five points, which I immediately jumped on and put out on Twitter. Kansas cruised to a 30-point win in its opener against Howard, but got a serious test on Friday night in hosting North Carolina. The Jayhawks jumped out to a 20-point lead in that one, but ultimately held on to win by just three points.
Michigan State has a couple of cupcake wins to start their season, but hasn’t had nearly the test that Kansas had on Friday night. Playing legitimate top-10 competition this early in the season should only help the Jayhawks be ready for the big stage in another national game on Tuesday. A big part of UNC’s comeback was the versatility of its trio of guards. R.J. Davis, Seth Trimble and Elliot Cadeau combined to attempt 27 free throws for the Tar Heels, which was a huge reason they were able to get back into the game. While the Spartans will be led by their senior point guard in Jaden Akins, they don’t have the type of top-end talent that UNC does.
Akins is capable of giving Kansas some issues, but I don’t think he’ll be able to keep MSU in the game, or help his team get back into a game, the way all three UNC guards could together. Kansas is as deep as any team in the country, and has elite talent at every position. Dajuan Harris should be able to come close to offsetting Akins in this game, but the Jayhawks have massive advantages in the paint with Hunter Dickinson and K.J. Adams. The bench for Kansas is also fantastic, and showed that on Friday, getting 21 points out of Zeke Mayo and another 13 from A.J. Storr.
The Jayhawks won’t be at home this time around, but should be the more prepared team and more talented team. I’d play this one out to KU -6.5, and might look to get involved in the first half and double result when those markets become available.
The play: Kansas -5 (-110) 2-units
Duke vs. Kentucky (9:00pm)
Assuming most of you didn’t watch the Blue Devils destroy New Hampshire or Army last week, this is going to be your first look at Cooper Flagg. The public will likely be intrigued by backing Duke in this one, as well as Flagg’s props. I actually lean to fading Flagg on some of his props, as this will be a huge step up in competition for the freshman. That said, I’ll ultimately stay away, as Flagg did compete against Team USA over the summer, and should see more minutes than he did in either of his first two games. But I will fade him in the sense of backing Kentucky in the game.
Duke might wind up rounding into a Final Four team by March, but right now it is relying on a lot of production from freshmen, and they’ll be going up against a veteran squad. Mark Pope looks like he’s doing a terrific job coaching his alma mater, bringing in tons of experienced talent. The Wildcats dropped over 100 points in each of their first two games, and look like they are gelling right off the bat. Six of the transfers that Pope brought in are now fifth-year players that have all been stars at other programs. Pope also added another pair of upperclassmen impact transfers, all of which are part of what could wind up being a 10-man rotation.
This is far from John Calipari’s Kentucky teams that were freshman heavy with potential lottery picks. While you can’t deny the talent of those teams, there was a learning curve that led to some struggles, especially early in seasons. This Kentucky team is built to play right away, arguably with as mich experience as anyone in the country.
Look for the Wildcats to wear down a young Duke squad and have a chance to win this game. I’d play Kentucky to +5, and am willing to take a piece of the moneyline at better than +200.
The play: Kentucky +6.5 (-110) 2-units
Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app on Apple or Google!
Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
The contents contained in this article do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment.
