NATIONAL COLLEGE BASKETBALL PREVIEW
Doubleheader at UC features4teams that will contend for crown
Duke’sMike Krzyzewski has hit and missed with the one- and- done thing. The Blue Devils won the national title in 2015, with freshmen Tyus Jones, Jahlil Okafor, JustiseWinslow and Grayson Allen outperforming veteran- ladenWisconsin in the final. Two years later— with an even more highly touted freshman class— Duke was out of the NCAA Tournament on the first weekend.
So what now? What else? Duke — on the strength of its biggest, best freshman class yet— is back at No. 1 in the national polls. But maybe not for long. The Blue Devils ( 2- 0) face No. 2 Michigan State ( 6 p. m., ESPN) on Tuesday in a the Champions Classic doubleheader at the United Center that’s so compelling, No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 7 Kentucky ( 8: 30 p. m., ESPN) isn’t even at the top of the marquee.
Don’t bother telling that to fans of the Jayhawks andWildcats, of course. They’ll pack the UC like it’s the Alamodome in San Antonio, site of this season’s Final Four.
But back to Duke, which starts four freshmen— 6- 11Marvin Bagley III, 6- 10Wendell Carter Jr., 6- 6 wing Gary Trent Jr. and 6- 3 point man Trevon Duval— who were ranked among the top eight recruits in the nation by ESPN. Bagley instantly steps in as one of the top dozen players in the country. Allen is still around, too, a 6- 5 senior and early national player
of the year candidate.
Sophomore bigs Javin DeLaurier ( 6- 10) and Marques Bolden ( 6- 11) are part of one of the tallest, most imposing frontcourt rotations in recent memory. Yet what excites Krzyzewski most is his freshmen, who arrived ready to get after it on and off the court.
“They work hard and they want to learn,” Krzyzewski said. “It’s interesting to me, in the evolution of the game, how [ they’re] not accustomed to watching themselves [ make mistakes] on tape. They’re accustomed to watching themselves in mix tapes with music and they never miss a shot and they do a whole bunch of crazy- good things.”
They’re so young, the mistakes could cost them their No. 1 ranking almost right off the bat. Michigan State’s Tom Izzo is only 1- 10 against Duke, but his sophomore- driven Spartans ( 1- 0) have a clear edge in experience and have upped the talent level in East Lansing considerably. There isn’t a bigger name in college basketball this season than 6- 7 forwardMiles Bridges, whose decision to return for his sophomore season was deemed a “Christmas present” by Izzo.
“Miles is, I think, somebody special for all of college basketball,” Izzo said, “because he’s my blue- collar star. And he’s got the humility and the humbleness of an everyday player and the skills of a very, very good player.”
Kansas ( 1- 0) is favored ( how could it not be?) to claim its 14th consecutive Big 12 regular- season title— a streak that continues to be as mind- blowing as any in sports. It’s senior guard Devonte’ Graham’s turn to lead the Jayhawks and 7- foot, 300- pound center Udoka Azubuike’s job to scare the heck out of everybody. This is a fun team with no obvious ceiling in sight.
Kentucky ( 2- 0) appears to be sleepwalking thus far, which isn’t new to coach John Calipari. No one builds a team’s effort level over the course of a season better than Calipari. Hamidou Diallo, Kevin Knox, P. J. Washington, Wenyen Gabriel— the length and athleticism is ridiculous.
Four championship contenders in one night, right in our backyard? That’s how you ring in a new season.
One more thing
In previous years, we’ve previewed the Big Ten season at the same time that we’ve sized up the national scene. This year, we’ll let the Big Ten teams breathe a bit — for another two and a half weeks or so— before we really dive in.
A nice change this season is that conference play begins on December 1, about a month earlier than usual. That opening Friday will include Illinois at Northwestern in Rosemont, the Wildcats’ temporary home.