Blue Blood Showdown: Jayhawks Defend #1

11/15/2023

By: Jeff Yoder

#1 Kansas Holds Off #17 Kentucky (89-84), #9 Duke Downs #18 Michigan State (74-65) in Champions Classic

It took a week of tune-up games to get the ball rolling, but the first night of high-profile ranked clashes in college basketball finally woke up the hoops fanatics on Tuesday. The State Farm Champions Classic brought four blue bloods to Chicago, including the No. 1 team in the country. Kansas overcame a 10-point deficit to fend off Kentucky, and Duke put their foot down on Michigan State. Plenty of college basketball action is on the way before conference slates start in December. Let’s re-run the Champions Classic:

 

#9 Duke def. #18 Michigan State (74-65)

The Blue Devils and Spartans met for a clash of 1-1 teams after both squads suffered early upsets last week as members of the top 5. A second loss would signal a catastrophic start for either side, and it’s MSU who is now 1-2 and facing a potential drop out of the top-25. Duke jumped on MSU early and never let up. Sophomore Kyle Filipowski had 15-8-3, but Caleb Foster dropped 18 off the bench in an inspired performance.

 

#1 Kansas def. #17 Kentucky (89-84)

A star-studded nightcap in the Champions Classic saw Kentucky take a 10-point lead on #1 Kansas, in the second half no less, but Hunter Dickinson was just too tough. Dickinson logged 27 points and 21 rebounds in his third game with the Jayhawks since transferring from Michigan. Kansas is now 3-0, and they just passed their toughest test in the month of November. They could be No. 1 for awhile.

 

Men’s NCAA Highlights

#4 Marquette def. #23 Illinois (71-64)

#7 Tennessee def. Wofford (82-61)

#8 Creighton def. Iowa (92-84)

 

Women’s NCAA Highlights

#21 Baylor def. #4 Utah (84-77)

 

Photo: Michael Hickey / Getty Images