What we found out? Duke rebounded, Kansas looked truly hard

Nov 15, 2023, 01:11 AM ET The 2023 Champions Classic at the United Center in Chicago had all the pageantry of a major minute for men’s college basketball. Magic Johnson smiled when the video cameras showed him on the huge screen throughout Duke’s 74-65 win over Michigan State. Rich Paul, the mega agent for LeBron James and other NBA All-Stars, sat courtside. There were numerous NBA scouts and executives in the building, consisting of Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri.The first half of Duke-MSU, however, featured slow basketball, with the teams connected 9-9 with 11:45 to play. The action picked up in the second half, when the Spartans stormed back and the energy rose. And the rate continued into the 2nd game with Adou Thiero’s dunks for Kentucky. But it was Kevin McCullar Jr.’s triple-double and Hunter Dickinson’s exceptional 27 points and 21 rebounds that helped bring Kansas the 89-84 victory.The pomp and circumstance, nevertheless, were second to the stakes.Each of the four teams got in Tuesday’s action looking for a major win to add to its résumé. But the Spartans have more concerns than answers. Duke may have found a young star in Caleb Foster. Kentucky hasn’t been this entertaining in years. And Kansas may need more time to jell, however the pieces for a nationwide title run exist, clearly.ESPN’s panel of professionals– Myron Medcalf, Jeff Borzello and John Gasaway– have a look at both matches in information. play 0:20 Kyle Filipowski spins to the rack for a Duke basket Kyle Filipowski puts his defender in a mixer as he

spins to the rack for a bucket.What eventually decided Duke’s win over Michigan State?The shots didn’t fall.

Duke’s box rating is filled with difficulties. Due to foul difficulty, Kyle Filipowski played simply 13 minutes in the very first half. The Blue Devils ended up 6-for-22 from the 3-point line. They dedicated 13 turnovers. Still, they left the United Center with a nine-point win.Michigan State’s ongoing shooting concerns just wouldn’t permit it to close the gap. Although the Spartans were 4-for-6 from beyond the

arc in the second half, they started 2-for-13, not all of them contested. MSU had open looks that wouldn’t drop. Tom Izzo’s squad is now 8-for-50 from the 3-point line through 3 games, the Spartans’worst mark over the past 25 years, per ESPN Statistics & Details information. Duke didn’t play a terrific game. Yes, Caleb Foster hit big shots down the stretch. However the Spartans ‘continuous dry spell led to a second loss.– Myron Medcalf Caleb Foster shined for Duke in heaven

Devils ’74-65 win over Michigan State in the Champions Classic, setting up 18 points, consisting of 4 threes. Michael Hickey/Getty Images What was various for Duke in this game after its loss in the house to Arizona and why is it promising for heaven Devils?From a workers viewpoint, it was Caleb Foster. The highly touted freshman produced a lot of buzz in the preseason, with numerous NBA scouts telling ESPN he appeared like the best of the Blue Devils ‘inbound recruiting class. However against Arizona last week, Foster played just 13 minutes and didn’t score a single point. Versus Michigan State, he appeared like Duke’s finest player not called Kyle Filipowski. Foster completed with 18 points on 7-for-8 shooting– consisting of 4 made 3s. He consistently struck big shots in the 2nd half, stopping Michigan State’s runs or extending Duke’s lead.Defenses will always tilt towards Filipowski, and eventually Tyrese Proctor will return to his late-season kind of 2022-23. If Foster can continue to make open shots and offer coach Jon Scheyer a constant perimeter alternative, that’s going to be big for a Duke offense that had a hard time to produce offense against Arizona.– Jeff Borzello Is there more to Michigan State’s 1-2 record than the extremely cold shooting we’ve been constantly talking about?Editor’s Picks 2 Associated The cold shooting began to heat up a bit in the second half on Tuesday, however MSU is still shooting simply 16%on its

3s for the season. There are, nevertheless, other worrisome trends for Tom Izzo to deal with, beginning with the fact that in these 2

losses, James Madison

and the Blue Devils shot an overall of 58 complimentary tosses in 85 minutes. Duke also shot even worse on its threes(6-for-22)than the Spartans(6-of-19 ), however with Kyle Filipowski and Tyrese Proctor blazing a trail, the Blue Devils made their 2s. Even with”typical”3-point shooting, this is not yet a top-five team, as it was forecasted to be in the preseason. It is also not yet Thanksgiving. Tyson Walker is one strong competitor, Coen Carr looks wonderful and it would be beyond silly to write off this group after simply three games.– John Gasaway play 0:50 Kevin McCullar Jr. assists Kansas to a win with a triple-double Kevin McCullar finishes with 12 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds to assist Kansas rally back versus Kentucky.What lessons do the Jayhawks take away from their win against Kentucky?I think the lesson here is the worth of grace. The Jayhawks were

down

14 with 16:21 to play in the 2nd half versus a Kentucky squad stacked with NBA prospects. They could not stop Rob Dillingham. Reed Sheppard was hot. Adou Thiero kept soaking on everyone. However Kansas kept battling and discovered

a rhythm.K.J. Adams Jr. got big pails. Dajuan Harris Jr. made plays. Kevin McCullar Jr.

included crucial stops on defense– including on Sheppard’s late 3-pointer that missed the rim– even when McCullar’s own shots weren’t falling(3-for-11 overall ). And Hunter Dickinson measured up to the buzz with an enormous effort(27 points, 21 rebounds). You will not see numerous groups put Kansas on the ropes. They recuperated, nevertheless, making 54% of their shots and 42 %of their threes in the 2nd half, while Kentucky linked on simply 29 %of its shots after halftime.In the future, the Jayhawks will deal with other tough matches, however the durability they showcased Tuesday night will help them in the future.– Medcalf play 0:22 Adou Thiero hammers down the putback

flush Adou Thiero tails the fast break and throws down an effective putback slam for Kentucky.Even though the Wildcats lost, why should we still be thrilled about them this season?For the very first 25 minutes, they were a discovery. They were playing with amazing pace, spreading out the floor with numerous shot-makers and requiring Kansas to protect in space. Rob Dillingham was making shots. Antonio Reeves was making shots. Adou Thiero

was having fun with energy. Kansas just could not keep up.The Jayhawks did begin to assert their interior supremacy and keep Kentucky out of shift in order to come back and ultimately win, however the huge takeaway is that John Calipari’s team went toe-to-toe with the No. 1 team in the country and nearly won. And this in spite of Justin Edwards and D.J. Wagner– the highest-ranked freshmen on the Wildcats and their highest-ranked NBA prospects– shooting a combined 1-for-18 and scoring 5 points.One more thing to bear in mind: Kentucky is still short-handed. Aaron Bradshaw, a top-10 hire, and returning huge man Ugonna Onyenso are out after offseason foot injuries, and extremely promoted Croatian center Zvonimir Ivisic hasn’t been cleared to play yet. Hunter Dickinson probably would not had gotten 27 and 21 if those 3 had the ability to suit up on Tuesday. I came out of this with lots of optimism for Kentucky’s season.– Borzello After seeing Hunter Dickinson record 27 points and 21 rebounds, is it possible he was underrated even as a preseason first-team All-American? Certainly it’s possible we will see Dickinson publish his best season yet, and that’s stating something. Yes, Kentucky was playing without its complete lineup and particularly without much in the way of size. Nevertheless, Dickinson was exceptional. His 27 points consisted of a 3 to end the very first half, and he even included three steals to his stat line.Coach Bill Self is making certain the ball is provided to Dickinson where he can do the most damage, and it’s possible Kansas’star will exceed anything he did at Michigan both in terms of scoring and