[9:40 PM] #1 Duke v. #7 Kansas

Who will WIN this matchup?

#1 Duke Blue Devils (2-0)

#7 Kansas Jayhawks (0-1)

 

• The line for this game is Duke by 2.5 points.

• A matchup fit for a Final Four is on tap Tuesday when top-ranked Duke takes on No. 8 Kansas in the State Farm Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden. The Jayhawks are looking for their second win over a top-ranked team in as many seasons as they try to avoid an 0-2 start.

• The Blue Devils have perhaps the best backcourt in the country with veterans Grayson Allen (20.5 points, seven rebounds), Luke Kennard (15 points, seven rebounds) and Matt Jones (11 points, 4.5 rebounds) joined by freshman phenom Frank Jackson (19.5 points). Duke also has a force in the paint with the return of Amile Jefferson (10 points, eight rebounds) and has pulled down an average of 13 offensive rebounds in its first two games, even without the three freshman big men who are sidelined. The Blue Devils have dominated at the defensive end, as well, forcing 17.5 turnovers per game — including 11.5 steals per contest — albeit against weak competition.

• The Jayhawks have plenty of firepower of their own with senior guard Frank Mason III leading a trio of returning starters that combined for 57 points against the Hoosiers. Mason accounted for 30 of those points and Devonte’ Graham added 16 to lead five players in double figures, but Kansas fans had cause for concern. The Jayhawks were outrebounded 50-39 — giving up 18 offensive boards — and allowed Indiana to shoot 43.7 percent overall and 15-for-31 from 3-point range.

• The Blue Devils lead the all-time series 7-3, but the Jayhawks claimed a 94-83 win in the last meeting in the 2013 Champions Classic in Chicago. The teams have met in the Final Four three times.

• Kansas has not started 0-2 since the 1972-73 season.

• Duke is 19-for-51 from 3-point range through two games and has made at least one 3-pointer in 949 consecutive games, the fourth-longest active streak in the nation.

 

StreakSmarts Pick: Duke Blue Devils

Confidence: 5/10

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