How No. 10 Kentucky and No. 9 Duke match up — with a game prediction
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Champions Classic preview: No. 10 Kentucky vs. No. 9 Duke
The Kentucky men’s basketball team opens its 2021-22 season Tuesday in New York City against longtime rival Duke in the State Farm Champions Classic. Click below to view all the stories previewing the game that have been published on Kentucky.com.
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How the No. 10 Kentucky Wildcats (0-0) and No. 9 Duke Blue Devils (0-0) match up at each position for Tuesday night’s State Farm Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden — with a game prediction:
Small forward
▪ Kentucky’s Kellan Grady is a 2,000-points-plus career scorer for the Wildcats — the Davidson Wildcats. Before choosing to use his “free COVID-19 season of eligibility” as a graduate transfer at UK, the 6-foot-5, 205-pound Boston product scored 2,002 career points as a four-year starter for Coach Bob McKillop at Davidson. A career 36.6 percent three-point shooter, Grady averaged 10 ppg and made four of seven treys in Kentucky’s exhibition wins over Kentucky Wesleyan and Miles College.
▪ Duke’s Wendell Moore (9.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 41.7% FGs in 2020-21) is a rarity for the Blue Devils since Mike Krzyzewski followed John Calipari into the one-and-done market — a quality, three-year player. A 6-5, 213-pound product of Charlotte, N.C., Moore is a versatile talent, who averaged 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals last season. In Duke’s 106-38 demolition of Winston Salem State in its sole exhibition, Moore went for eight points, six assists and two steals.
Advantage: Duke.
Power forward
▪ In 2021-22, UK’s Keion Brooks (10.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg in 2020-21) will be only the eighth recruited, scholarship player in the Calipari coaching era (since 2009-10) to play at least three seasons for the Cats. A 6-7, 210-pound product of Fort Wayne, Ind., Brooks averaged 12 ppg and 4.5 rpg in Kentucky’s two exhibitions.
▪ Duke’s Paolo Banchero is one of the most-ballyhooed freshmen entering men’s college hoops in 2021-22. The 6-10, 250-pound product of Seattle was ranked the No. 2 prospect in the 2021 Rivals 150 and is a player UK recruited ardently. In the exhibition game vs. Winston Salem State, Banchero made eight of 13 shots and produced team highs with 21 points and nine rebounds.
Advantage: Duke.
Center
▪ Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe averaged 10.6 ppg and 8.9 rpg in 41 career starts playing for Bob Huggins at West Virginia. After transferring to UK, the burly 6-9, 255-pound post is being counted on to provide the Wildcats with the physicality Kentucky sorely lacked in 2020-21. In the Cats’ two exhibitions, Tshiebwe made five of seven field goals and averaged 11 rebounds a game.
▪ Duke’s Mark Williams (7.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 66.4% FGs) began last season as a little-used reserve yet closed 2020-21 as a key cog in Coach K’s playing rotation. Louisville’s Chris Mack might have nightmares about Williams, a 7-foot, 242-pound sophomore from Virginia Beach, Va. In Duke’s 70-56 victory over U of L in last season’s ACC Tournament quarterfinals, Williams went for 23 points and 19 rebounds. In the exhibition win over Winston Salem State, Williams hit six of seven shots and had 14 points.
Advantage: Even.
Shooting guard
▪ Kentucky freshman TyTy Washington impressed during UK’s two exhibition wins, averaging 16.5 ppg and making all six of his three-point attempts. A 6-3, 197-pound product of Phoenix, Washington was the 14th-ranked prospect by Rivals.com in the class of 2021 and chose Kentucky late after decommitting from Creighton.
▪ A muscular 6-4, 221-pound freshman, Duke’s Trevor Keels was the No. 22 player in the class of 2021 as ranked by Rivals.com. Krzyzewski won out in a fierce recruiting battle with Villanova, Virginia and UK for the services of the Clinton, Md., product. Known as a shooter, Keels had 12 points, four assists and two steals in the exhibition victory over Winston Salem State.
Advantage: Kentucky
Point guard
▪ Kentucky’s Sahvir Wheeler averaged 12.5 points, 6.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds during exhibition season. The 5-9, 180-pound junior gives UK a capacity it sorely lacked a season ago: A creator who can beat opponents off the dribble. Last season at Georgia, Wheeler led the SEC in assists at 7.4 a game but also averaged 4.4 turnovers while making only 22.5% of his three-point attempts. Surrounded by better talent at UK, Wheeler’s ball security and outside shooting should each improve.
▪ Last season as a freshman, Duke’s Jeremy Roach started 18 of 24 games and averaged 8.7 points and 2.8 assists while making 59.1% of his two-point field-goal tries and 31.3% of his attempted treys. A 6-1, 172-pound product of Leesburg, Va., Roach had 10 points, seven assists and was a staggering plus-51 in the Blue Devils’ exhibition win over Winston Salem State. In Trevor Keels, Roach is reunited this season with a former high school teammate from Virginia’s St. Paul VI Catholic High School.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Bench
▪ Kentucky boasts 12 capable, scholarship players on its roster. … Super-senior guard Davion Mintz (11.5 ppg, career-high 37.8% on three-pointers) was UK’s best player a season ago. … Junior forward Jacob Toppin (5.2 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 44.4% FGs) could be a breakout candidate in 2021-22. … As a redshirt sophomore, ex-Pendleton County star Dontaie Allen (5.4 ppg, 39.7% three-point shooting) will seek to show he can be more than a standstill shooter. … Freshmen forwards Daimion Collins and Bryce Hopkins were the No. 18 and No. 38-ranked players, respectively, in the 2021 Rivals 150.
▪ Duke senior forward Joey Baker (2.9 ppg, 31.4% treys) is the only player on the roster who has played in an NCAA Tournament game for the Blue Devils. … A wide-body at 6-8, 255-pounds, super-senior forward Theo John (8 ppg, 5 rpg) is a graduate transfer from Marquette. … Super-senior forward Bates Jones (37.5% three-point shooting last season) is a grad transfer from Davidson and the brother of ex-Duke and current New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. … Freshmen point guard Jaylen Blakes and wing forward AJ Griffin will seek to carve out places in the playing rotation. Griffin was ranked No. 16 in the 2021 Rivals 150, while Blakes was No. 116.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Intangibles and history
▪ Winner of 1,170 career college games, five NCAA titles and three Olympic gold medals, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, 74, will be starting his farewell tour after announcing last summer that this will be his final season. It will be fascinating to watch how Coach K’s swan song impacts officiating in 2021-22.
▪ Barring a run to the 2022 NIT Final Four, this will presumably be the final game Krzyzewski coaches at Madison Square Garden.
▪ Kentucky leads the all-time series with Duke 12-10. However, under Krzyzewski, the Blue Devils are 6-2 vs. UK. As Kentucky head man, John Calipari is 1-2 vs. Duke.
▪ Of the four teams that annually participate in the Champions Classic, Duke has the best record (6-4) followed by Kentucky and Kansas (each 5-5) and Michigan State (4-6). Duke is 2-1 vs. UK head-to-head in the Champions Classic.
▪ Both Kentucky (9-16 last year) and Duke (13-11) missed the 2021 NCAA Tournament and will be seeking to launch redemptive seasons with a marquee win.
Advantage: Duke.
Prediction
Duke 83, Kentucky 81.
This story was originally published November 8, 2021 at 10:10 AM.
