There are a lot of enticing college basketball matchups to monitor as the season begins to ramp up, but tonight's doubleheader action at Chicago’s United Center should generate the most buzz.
The State Farm Champions Classic pits Duke and Michigan State against one another in the early game before Kansas and Kentucky duel in the nightcap.
All four teams will be playing their third contests of the season, and we’re going to see only one team leave the arena undefeated and one team exit 1-2.
Breaking down State Farm Champions Classic odds means evaluating some major coaching matchups. We'll see staples Bill Self and John Calipari match coaching wits after Tom Izzo takes aim at the youngest coach of Tuesday’s star-studded foursome, Jon Scheyer, who is now in his second season following the footsteps of the legendary Mike Krzyzewski.
Michigan State vs. Duke college basketball odds: Spartans and Blue Devils look to avoid early second loss
Here are the latest Michigan State vs. Duke odds from top-rated sportsbooks:
Michigan State and Duke tip off the State Farm Champions Classic in Chicago at 7 p.m. ET, and the Blue Devils have already faced another prospective Final Four team, losing at home to Arizona last Friday.
Despite the setback, oddsmakers favor Duke in Big Ten country. The Spartans lost to James Madison in one of the more surprising early results of the young season, falling 79-76 in overtime on Nov. 7.
MSU Senior guard Tyson Walker scored 35 points in that game, but finished 0-for-5 from 3-point range, part of a 1-for-20 showing from beyond the arc that ultimately doomed them in the upset. Michigan State came out and beat Southern Indiana a couple of days later to earn its first win of the season, but shot just 1-for-9 from 3-point range against the Screaming Eagles, who are in their second season transitioning from Division II to the D-I level.
The Spartans lost their top shooter from a season ago, Joey Hauser, but return four starters and shouldn’t be struggling with their accuracy in the manner they currently are. Walker, who began his career at Northeastern, teams with A.J. Hoggard to form one of the nation’s most experienced backcourts, but they’re a combined 1-for-12 from 3-point range so far.
Jaden Akins, expected to take a huge leap forward after flirting with a jump to the NBA, has missed all six of his 3-pointers. That won’t continue, but it’s tough to confidently back Michigan State until their shots start falling.
Duke opened the season with a No. 2 ranking from the Associated Press but were out-rebounded 45-33 by Arizona in a tight 78-73 result featuring a pair of national title contenders. Despite 25 points from Kyle Filipowski and 17 points from senior guard Jeremy Roach, the Blue Devils failed to execute at home when it mattered most.
Freshman Jared McCain, one of the nation’s top recruits, gives Duke another ball-handling option next to returning guards Tyrese Proctor and Roach, while Mark Mitchell is back to handle some of the dirty work next to Filipowski, one of the most versatile 7-footers in the college game.
After losing the opener due to being outworked on the glass, this will be a great bounce-back opportunity for Duke’s bigs, which also features former Northwestern standout Ryan Young looking to replace the production of lottery pick Dereck Lively II, whose defense and size were certainly missed against Arizona.
Michigan State vs. Duke prediction
Michigan State’s best chance to hang around and pull off an upset, especially if it continues to struggle from the perimeter, will be for forward Malik Hall and center Mady Sissoko to impose their will inside.
Freshmen Coen Carr, a terrific 6-foot-6 athlete, and 6-foot-11 Xavier Booker should also factor in off the bench. Carr’s ability to rebound could mean he’s in for a major role off Izzo’s bench.
Handicapping this one, getting the best number with Duke and riding the UNDER looks like the play in what should be a competitive, tightly contested affair.
More college basketball: Top NCAA basketball betting apps | Best March Madness betting sites
Kansas vs. Kentucky odds: Top-ranked Jayhawks aim to stay undefeated vs. Wildcats
Here are the latest Kansas vs. Kentucky odds:
Hunter Dickinson was the top available transfer in college basketball and he’s proven why in his first stints with Kansas. The 7-foot-2 former Michigan star is averaging 19.5 points and shooting 65 percent from the field through a pair of blowout wins against overmatched NC Central and Manhattan.
The Jayhawks hung 99 points on both opponents and had their wins wrapped up by halftime. KU outscored the Eagles and Jaspers 103-37 over the first 20 minutes of their wins, holding both in the teens in the opening half, so we’ll see them tested for the first time by Kentucky.
Dickinson’s frontcourt mates Kevin McCullar and KJ Adams, are back for another season, as is point guard Dajuan Harris, Jr., who Self calls the best pass-first point guard around.
Joining Dickinson as a new arrival making waves instantly is freshman Elmarko Jackson, an elite recruit and the team’s top NBA prospect. He’s tied with Harris atop the Big 12 in assists per game (7.5), and the team ranks second nationally in assists per game with 29.5 as everybody is sharing it consistently.
Another freshman, Australian Johnny Furphy, is averaging 10.5 points off the bench while shooting 5-for-11 from 3 point range. Kansas has the look of a super team, but we’ll see how they deal with some adversity since Kentucky has a few weapons that should challenge them for the first time since the team’s summer trip to Puerto Rico, where they matched up with pros like Eric Gordon and Buddy Hield playing for the Bahamas National Team.
The Wildcats dominated New Mexico State 86-46 to open the season and most recently beat Texas A&M Commerce 81-61 in a game where Calipari only played seven guys. Adou Thiero missed the Friday night game due to a concussion but will be back for tonight’s game, boosting a frontcourt missing 7-foot freshman forward Aaron Bradshaw and 6-11 sophomore center Ugonna Onyenso due to injuries.
Seven-foot-two Croatian forward Zvonimir Ivisic still hasn’t been cleared by the NCAA, so Kentucky will be short-handed up front. It’s going to be vital that Tre Mitchell stay out of foul trouble, which means Dickinson should have an advantage since he can afford to be more physical in a matchup featuring two of this summer’s most coveted transfers.
Mitchell has played at UMass, Texas and West Virginia and is well equipped to be the Wildcats’ frontcourt anchor now that elite rebounder Oscar Tshiebwe and athletic forward Jacob Toppin exhausted their eligibility.
Kansas vs. Kentucky prediction
Kentucky would probably love it if this game were scheduled for December, but it will test the country’s top recruiting class by going small. DJ Wagner, Justin Edwards, Reed Sheppard and Rob Dillingham are all in the rotation, but the team is playing through veteran Mitchell and wing Antonio Reeves.
This will be a special night for Reeves, a Chicago native who was the SEC Sixth Man of the Year last season and is averaging a team-high 16 points per game. He’ll have to be efficient for short-handed Kentucky to hang around and flirt with an upset.
Given their edge in depth and the trust Self has in Harris and Jackson as passers, expect Kansas to look to push tempo whenever possible.
Riding the OVER is a solid play.
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