Champions Classic: Kansas beats Michigan State, Duke tops Kentucky on festive opening night
By Andy Katz
FOX Sports College Basketball Analyst
NEW YORK — We missed a packed Madison Square Garden.
Duke and Kentucky fans cheering.
Kansas fans chanting, "Rock Chalk, Jayhawk."
Coach K, Cal, Izzo and Self storming up and down the sideline.
Heralded freshmen destined for the NBA Draft.
Veteran players, now even super seniors.
Overreacting to results.
And all of the hype.
We missed every second of it.
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Andy Katz reacts to opening night of college basketball from the floor of Madison Square Garden and evaluates big wins by the Duke Blue Devils and Kansas Jayhawks.
The only thing missing from the unofficial tip-off of the men's college basketball season with the Champions Classic on Tuesday at MSG was a buzzer-beater.
That will come in due time in a high-profile game.
College basketball was the last of the major sports — professional and collegiate — to once again play to a full capacity of fans. And it was so welcome. MSG falls under New York City’s strict COVID-19 guidelines. You couldn’t get into the Garden without showing proof of vaccination. But that allowed the fans, the media and all game personnel to be unmasked.
It was gloriously normal.
The undercard was Kansas-Michigan State. But don’t dare think the Jayhawks are anything but a headline act this season.
Kansas, which beat the Spartans 87-74, is the real deal. No team in the country can claim to be deeper. Could some teams be as deep? Sure. But deeper? No way. And Kansas was playing without Jalen Wilson, down for three games due to a suspension over a DUI.
The Jayhawks have a legit Big 12 Player of the Year candidate and potential first-team All-American — and his name isn’t Remy Martin. Sure, Martin, the transfer from Arizona State, was the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year, and he scored 15. But Martin is still finding his way with this Kansas team.
Nope, the star of this squad is Ochai Agbaji. He was close to being gone to the NBA Draft but said after the game Tuesday that he came back to be part of something special in Lawrence. Agbaji scored 29 and dominated his position.
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Ochai Agbaji scored 29 points for No. 3 Kansas in the Jayhawks' 87-74 victory over Michigan State.
The Jayhawks are two-deep at every position and are experienced, with players such as David McCormack, Jalen Coleman-Lands, Mitch Lightfoot and Martin joining Agbaji. The freshmen aren’t too shabby, either, with quite the pep in their step in guards Bobby Pettiford and KJ Adams Jr.
Kansas will be in the mix for the national title. Book it. That’s not overhyping one game.
Duke might or might not be a title contender, but we know the Blue Devils have two of the best freshmen in the country — as they did in 2019 with Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett. I’m not comparing Trevor Keels and Paolo Banchero to that duo, but they could have a similar impact on this team.
The Blue Devils will lean heavily on Keels and Banchero, who had 25 and 22 points, respectively, in Duke's 79-71 victory over Kentucky. The Blue Devils will struggle to shoot (1-for-13 on 3s), but can get to the rim, finish, slash and make life difficult for any opponent.
Duke also has a pair of imposing bigs in Mark Williams and Theo John (Marquette transfer), who will impact each game. The Blue Devils can defend. And they can deliver Mike Krzyzewski one last run in his final season.
Kentucky has quality pieces, but the Wildcats need to figure out how those fit together. Just give them time. The talent of transfers Sahvir Wheeler (Georgia), Oscar Tshiebwe (West Virginia), Kellan Grady (Davidson) and, when he is healthy, CJ Fredrick (Iowa) is too much to dismiss.
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Andy Katz reveals which teams he thinks are contenders for the national title, including a list of teams lurking just outside his four tiers.
Wheeler had seven turnovers, but he makes plays and pushes the tempo. He’ll team up well with freshman TyTy Washington. Tshiebwe had the quietest 17 points and 19 boards I’ve ever seen. If he can avoid some lulls, he can be even more of a force.
The Wildcats need to make better decisions late in the game and allow fewer transition buckets. With those fixes, Kentucky will be an SEC title contender.
Michigan State isn’t a traditional Tom Izzo team. The Spartans will look to push the basketball, rip and run as much as possible.
Tyson Walker (Northeastern transfer) and A.J. Hoggard will split the point and pace the tempo. Max Christie will be the star eventually — maybe even the best freshman in the Big Ten. Veterans Gabe Brown and Malik Hall will need to be more assertive. The frontcourt has depth and can play the traditional roles for an Izzo-coached team.
The Spartans aren’t the favorites in the Big Ten. But they are an NCAA tournament team.
Kansas is a title contender. Duke can make the Final Four. Kentucky could go on a deep run.
And each one of them will now head home to play in front of their passionate fans at full capacity.
Tuesday at the Garden was the tease we all needed before we get the on-campus atmospheres missing since March 2020.
Can’t wait.
Andy Katz is a longtime college basketball writer, analyst and host. He can be seen on FOX Sports and Big Ten Network platforms, as well as March Madness and NCAA.com, and he hosts the podcast "March Madness 365." Katz worked at ESPN for nearly two decades and, prior to that, in newspapers for nine years.