№1 Duke vs. №2 Michigan State

Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune

This game grew tons of intrigue throughout NBA circles not just because of the sheer amount of NBA talent each team holds, but also for the juicy matchups that we got to somewhat witness. What I mean by somewhat was the fact that we were given the opportunity to see Duke’s Marvin Bagley III and Michigan State’s Jaren Jackson Jr. battle each other. Both of these prospects are definite top-7 NBA talent in this upcoming draft but Bagley’s time in this game came to a quick close.

10 minutes into the first half, Bagley was inadvertently poked in the right eye by teammate Javin DeLaurier, causing him to subsequently miss the remainder of the game as a precaution. What I did like from Bagley was his presence on the offensive glass (5 offensive rebounds) along with taking advantage of mismatches on offense. He has an impressive mix of size, skill, and athleticism but I would like to see him continue to develop his game on the post.

I was really impressed by Duke’s backcourt, consisting of freshman Trevon Duval and senior Grayson Allen. Duval had some question marks as a high school recruit because of his inconsistency beyond the arc along with forcing a flurry of turnovers. Duval continued to show his three-point shooting woes by going 0–4. He did display his ability to be a playmaker in his young college career. In his first three games, Duval now has 30 assists and 4 turnovers, further showing that he is always improving his game by keeping the rest of his team involved on offense. Overall, Duval showed great fluidity on the court especially when driving into traffic and looked engaged in all aspects of this marquee matchup. Duval ended the game by filling up the stat sheet with 17 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists, 6 steals, and 1 block in 37 minutes.

It’s also a great wake up call for college basketball fans all over to know that the season is finally here after hearing the countless boos that Grayson Allen received during the entire game. Just like Christian Laettner before him, Allen made everyone regret ever booing him. He ended the game with a career high 37 points with a sweet buzzer beater at the end of the first half. Also, will we ever find out if Allen is actually Ted Cruz in disguise?

Wendell Carter Jr. seized most of the opportunity of a Bagley-less frontcourt, finishing with a double double (12 points and 12 rebounds). Carter Jr. has shown that he can play above the rim. He’s active on both the offensive and defensive glass, and has shown strides of a post-up game and being a rim protector. I would like to see him add a 3-point shot to his game, as that will help expand his draft stock even more.

As for Michigan State, I was really looking forward to watching Miles Bridges continue to add on to his potential player-of-the-year campaign, but Jaren Jackson Jr. took over the show. Jackson Jr. is gaining plenty of buzz as a potential top-5 pick in what is already a very top-heavy draft class. This isn’t particularly shocking especially with how he has displayed versatility in the first two games of his college career. Jackson Jr. does especially well by using his athleticism for rim protection, ending the game with 3 blocks. There were also times during the first half where he displayed his ability to space the floor by shooting spot up 3-pointers. He also utilizes his 7'4" wingspan on the defensive end, forcing the opposition to take unorthodox shots.

Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune

Miles Bridges continues to show potential as a future NBA forward. He has the size and length to excel at this position but everything goes down to how dominant he can be on the rebounding end and if he can show the same fight to protect the rim as he did tonight, ending with a game-high four blocks.

In the end, Duke comes out as the victor, winning 88–81. Overall, this game lived up to the hype that we all looked forward to. It is also especially difficult to assess this game on Michigan State’s end, as Duke did utilize a 2–3 zone and forced Michigan State into a number of turnovers, especially in the first half. I look forward to seeing how Marvin Bagley and Jaren Jackson’s games evolve going forward.

№4 Kansas vs. №7 Kentucky

Mark Zerof/USA TODAY Sports

Crazy to say, but this is the youngest Kentucky team that John Calipari has ever coached. This team makes up for its lack of college experience with length and athleticism.

Kevin Knox was by far the most impressive player for Kentucky Tuesday night. He displayed his ability to shoot efficiently for a team that lacks any synergy on the offensive end. Knox was the only player on Kentucky to successfully drain a 3, ending the night 3–6 from beyond the arc. This will be a big problem for the Wildcats if other players cannot develop their game to effectively space the floor. This was also especially telling, as there was one posession where Hamidou Diallo was wide open for a corner 3 and completely botched it. No need to be worried right now, though, as there is plenty of time before SEC play begins for this team. Knox ended the night with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block.

In the end, Kansas won the game 65–61, with an overall bad shooting night from both teams. Just like Kentucky, this Kansas team needs to find ways to shoot the ball efficiently. Frank Mason and Josh Jackson are in the NBA and Devonte Graham needs to step up with his senior leadership for this team. This is an older, more experienced Kansas team, with Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, Lagerald Vick, Malik Newman, and Udoka Azubuike making up the starting lineup with Graham. But head coach Bill Self needs to be creative with how he guides his team to victory in the future, especially with a schedule consisting of Syracuse, Texas, and West Virginia on the horizon.