Kentucky, Duke collide a few months late

LEXINGTON, Ky. – This is not the Kentucky-Duke showdown the Wildcats wanted, but seven and a half months after they fell a single game shy of putting an undefeated season on the line against their nemesis in the NCAA championship game, Tuesday night’s meeting will provide an early gauge of both rebuilt rosters’ national-title potential this season.

“I wish we were playing a year ago at the end, obviously,” UK coach John Calipari said.

Still, the chance to match wits with fellow Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski, to test his second-ranked Cats (2-0) against the fifth-ranked Blue Devils (2-0), is the sort of thing that gets Calipari out of bed in the morning. “I woke up: ‘Six o’clock! What’s going on?’ I mean, I’m excited to coach in the game. I don’t know if we can win the game; I just love the challenge.

“Let’s see where we are right now. And that’s what I want (the players) to feel.”

This game will look much different than it would have in April. The two teams lost a combined 10 players to the NBA after last season, seven of them first-round selections – the No. 1, 3, 6, 10, 12, 13 and 24 picks in the draft.

What a show that would’ve been with a championship for both and history for the Wildcats on the line.

“I think there’s a pretty good argument that it would’ve been the most-watched game of all-time,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said. “All year long, Kentucky was the best team. I said it a thousand times: I thought the team that had the best chance to beat them was Wisconsin, and they ran into Wisconsin. Duke was a better matchup for Kentucky than Wisconsin was, but that’s the way tournament play goes.

“I think everybody would’ve liked to have seen Kentucky-Duke – except for Wisconsin fans.”

Alas, the Cats finished 38-1, and the Blue Devils beat the Badgers to take the title, and the world had to wait for Tuesday night’s Champions Classic to finally see these teams play. Many of the names have changed, but the talent level hasn’t suffered significantly.

Depending which ranking you believe, either UK or Duke signed the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for 2015. The Blue Devils have seven former five-star prospects on their roster, including freshmen Brandon Ingram, Derryck Thornton, Chase Jeter and Luke Kennard.

The Wildcats have six former five-star recruits on their roster, including freshmen Skal Labissiere, Jamal Murray and Isaiah Briscoe. Labissiere, Ingram and Murray are all potential top-five NBA draft picks next summer.

Among the veterans, UK’s Tyler Ulis and Duke’s Grayson Allen (54 points in two games this season) are poised for breakout seasons with larger roles as sophomores.

“Both teams have a lot of weapons,” Bilas said, but “both teams are so different than they were last year. I think the guard matchups are going to decide it. Last year, both teams were more inside-oriented; this year you’re looking at more guard-oriented teams. So how the guards play, and specifically how they’re able to defend each other, will be really important.”

That’s what makes this game so compelling – if not as high-stakes as a spring meeting would’ve been. Like Calipari, Krzyzewski is still experimenting with his new group. Neither side is exactly sure what it has.

“We’re trying to figure it out,” Calipari said. “(Krzyzewski) is mixing up their defense like I’ve never seen them. He’s trying everything to see if he figures out what he likes for the team. I imagine they’ll do it in the game.”

Kentucky needs to see senior forward Alex Poythress test his surgically repaired knee against elite competition – and whether that challenge pushes him over another mental hurdle. The Wildcats want to pit their trio of five-star guards against Duke’s and see who blinks first.

“Two teams that are going to drive, drive, drive,” Calipari said, “so the game will probably take two-and-a-half hours, because there’s going to be fouls.”

UK needs to know what happens when the skinny, 6-foot-11 Labissiere runs into a big man with the size and attitude to push him around. The Blue Devils will throw 7-foot, 250-pound senior Marshall Plumlee at him.

“Skal will have trouble with Plumlee,” Calipari said. “Plays very physical. It’s going to be a challenge for him. This is a grit game, a grind-it game.”

After this, the third game in five days for both sides, the two teams will know a lot more about themselves. Is Briscoe really an elite defender? Can junior Derek Willis keep his hot streak going when facing future pros? Does freshman swingman Charles Matthews deserve a spot in UK’s much-tighter rotation?

“Neither team is nowhere near a finished product,” Matthews said. “It’s going to come down to who has the most fight in them.”

The winner will establish itself early as a serious national title contender yet again. But, unlike if they’d met seven and a half months ago, the loser might get just as much out of it.

“It doesn’t matter if you lose. This is not football,” Bilas said. “I don’t think Kentucky fans, with 38-1 last year, I don’t think they’d be horribly disappointed if their one loss had come against Kansas (in the Champions Classic) last year. It just happened to come against Wisconsin.”

The Wildcats don’t need reminding.

Kyle Tucker can be reached at (502) 582-4361. Email him at ktucker@courier-journal.com .