Duke basketball has its first big test of the season on Tuesday night in the annual Champions Classic. Duke will match up against #23 Kentucky at 9:00pm EDT at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA. Both squads have kicked off their seasons with two "buy games," meaning contests against inferior opponents so sort of get the gears rolling early on.
The Champions Classic unofficially kicks off the college basketball regular season each year as it features Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, and Michigan State, which are all poised to be great matchups year in and year out.
I spoke with Mark Knight this week, the Kentucky site expert for FanSided. Knight runs the site wildcatbluenation.com. He filled me in on what Duke can expect from the Wildcats and what to look for in the matchup itself.
What can Duke fans expect from Kentucky?
Knight had this to say on newly appointed Mark Pope's offense with the Wildcats. "The newly built Wildcats are a lot of fun and they've already surprised Big Blue Nation with how they play offensively. The ball movement is insane and there truly is not a ton of dribbling. It's not uncommon to see ten passes in a possession as they zoom the ball around the court looking to expose a defensive weakness."
Pope's offenses revolve around constant movement, quick passes, and three point shots. I told Knight how I think the Wildcats have the best shooter in the country in Dayton transfer Koby Brea, and UK has several guys that can knock down a catch-and-shoot three at any point.
Knight also talked about the veteran presence for this year's Kentucky team, which Cats fans haven't been used to. "This team is newly built but very veteran heavy. Unlike Kentucky teams of the past you won't see a whole lot of freshmen playing lots of minutes. There will be a few that log minutes but it's mostly full of veterans like Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson, Koby Brea, Amari Williams, etc. It's a very deep team and Mark Pope will utilize it all."
It's still so early in the season, and regardless of how veteran-oriented Kentucky is, there are going to be some growing pains with all of these new faces. Knight told me how this is his biggest pause heading into the game.
"The newly built part of it means they are still figuring each other out. The biggest pause that I have about this Duke game is that it's so early in the year. There are still some sloppy parts of games and some cold stretches as they learn to play together. However, I've seen a lot of new teams play together over the years, and this team is figuring it out quick. There will be stretches in the game that Kentucky struggles but they can compensate by scoring explosions. They have scored over 100 points in both games this season, one of a very small category of teams.
What does Knight expect from Duke?
This is what Knight is looking for when Duke takes the floor against the Wildcats on Tuesday night. "Elite talent. The Duke team looks loaded from top to bottom and may be one of the few teams in the country that can compete with Kentucky in terms of sheer depth. The Blue Devils can go to their eighth or ninth player and not miss much production, that's insane. The freshmen that Duke brought in are electric and efficient. I honestly am not even sure Cooper Flagg will end up being the best freshman on this team and that's not a diss on Flagg, that's just how good the other freshmen are."
The Blue Devils have looked like potentially the best defensive team in the country through the first week of the regular season. Knight says he thinks Duke will challenge the Wildcats' offense with its hounding, relentless defense.
"They will challenge Kentucky defensively. It will be a real test and like I said above, Kentucky can get a little ahead of themselves at times with the passing and anticipating. I expect Pope to emphasize crispness and decisiveness in practice this week."
Mark Knight's game and score prediction
"I think Kentucky will surprise a lot of people this year. They will surprise Duke with how tight they keep this game and how quick they can score. It will stress some Blue Devils fans out as this game comes down the stretch. I actually think Kentucky pulls it off in a stunner, simply because the veteran energy will engage as the game stays tight. If Duke can pull away early, that would help them win, but if it stays close - Kentucky's veterans will find a way."
Kentucky over Duke 87-83.