The Duke Blue Devils and Kansas Jayhawks will meet in the Champions Classic on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. Both of these teams are ranked going into this matchup and Duke is a heavy favorite based on what we've seen from them so far this year. Before this game begins, continue reading to get my Kansas vs Duke prediction in what should be the game of the night in college basketball.
Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, one of their top offensive options, is expected to be out due to a lingering hamstring injury. He scored 22 points in the loss to North Carolina earlier in the season and his absence hinders Kansas’ offense significantly.
Duke is riding the hot hand of freshman phenom Cameron Boozer, who exploded for 35 points in their blowout win over Indiana State. On the boards and in the paint, Kansas will try to counter Boozer with sophomore big man Flory Bidunga. Bidunga dropped 25 points on 10-of-11 shooting in his most recent outing. But without Peterson’s scoring punch, Kansas may struggle to generate enough offense to keep pace.
This is an important game for both of these teams. Wins in games like this one would be huge for the seeding prospects of both teams later in the year. While neither team is expected to be in danger of missing this year's NCAA Tournament, this matchup can only provide a boost to the seeding expectations of the winner.
Score Projection: Kansas 71 – Duke 83
Win Probability: Kansas 23%, Duke 77%
The injury situation for Kansas is likely to swing this game firmly in Duke's favor. You need to be at or near your best to contend with a team that is playing as well as Duke. I'll lay the points with the Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden in this matchup, as Boozer should outperform Bidunga, while the overall depth of the Blue Devils will carry them to another statement win.
Affiliate DisclosureATS.io uses affiliate links. If you sign up through a link on this page, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Rankings are based on hands-on testing and published criteria, and affiliate relationships do not determine placement.