How can you not get excited about this game? What a way to start off the college basketball season than to put the No.4 Duke Blue Devils and No.2 Kentucky Wildcats against each other on the hardwood in the Champions Classic. These are two of the most successful college basketball programs and two of the best coaches battling it out, right out of the gate.
The Duke Blue Devils and Kentucky Wildcats meet up on Tuesday night as part of the StateFarm Champions Classic and live betting will be available at BookMaker.eu. What can we expect in this contest between two of college basketball’s top teams heading into the season and what should we look for in live betting at BookMaker.eu?
NCAA Basketball Betting at Bookmaker.eu
Date and Time: Tuesday, November 6, 2018, 9:30 p.m. ET
Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
College Basketball Odds: Check Back Later
Blue Devils vs. Wildcats TV Coverage: ESPN
This is a premium matchup in a season opening contest as these two programs have some history. Two of the elite programs in college hoops, Kentucky and Duke have seemingly switched places this time.
Traditionally, Jon Calipari and the Wildcats get criticized for their one-and-done approach, recruiting top freshman, offering them a chance to play in an elite college system and then immediately declare for the draft. Duke’s been much more professional over the years, developing talent for a couple years, but this time, Duke’s freshman class is stacked, giving the Blue Devils a less seasoned team in this early season matchup against the Wildcats. Kentucky, for once, is returning a number of stars and its biggest new name may be from a transfer in Reid Travis rather than a freshman.
As for Duke’s freshman, however, these kids are the real deal. The team showed off the firepower in the exhibition season. R.J. Barrett is a superstar in the making while Zion Williamson, Cam Reddish and Tre Jones round out a freshman class that features four five-star recruits. Jones could be just as clutch for Duke if he possesses the same slow heartbeat and ice in his veins as his brother, Tyus, showed for the Blue Devils in their 2015 run.
For Kentucky, the experience of the starting lineup should help, particularly this early in the season. While Reid Travis isn’t new, the senior transferred in after four years a Stanford and will be motivated after he projected lower in the NBA Draft last year, pulling out of the draft in favor of one more college basketball season.
Travis gives the Wildcats a clear edge inside the paint, but Kentucky also owns the deeper bench. As the season progresses, things will shake out for the youthful Duke squad, but the Wildcats don’t have five clear starters. They have a plethora of talent which could keep them fresher late in the game as Calipari can rotate players in and out of the game without giving up much.
Live Betting
The Blue Devils nabbed the recruiting class of the season and they have some talented players, particularly on the perimeter, but the Wildcats have the personnel to own the inside.
Travis was a major addition inside the paint and along with P.J. Washington, Nick Richards and EJ Montgomery gives Kentucky quite a bit of depth—and size—around the basket.
The key inside for Duke may be former Kentucky recruit Marques Bolden. He’s got some experience, but will be heavily outmanned.
This game could ultimately come down to a battle of the Blue Devils on the outside and the Wildcats on the inside.
Key Stats
We don’t have any season stats to lean on for this game and while we’ve seen the teams in exhibition, that’s hardly a good option for providing key statistics to lead us to any real conclusion for when the season finally starts.
Instead, the key stat here is the 38-points that Barrett scored in the FIBA semifinals over in Egypt when he led the Canadian team to an upset win over USA. He’s got a different team around him here and he’s facing a different team, too, but it’s coached by the same guy in Calipari. While Barrett is a freshman, he’s got some experience playing against a Calipari led team.
Barrett can take over in any given game, but the real key will be if Coach K’s system will allow him to do that.
Blue Devils vs. Wildcats Live Betting
The Wildcats come into this game ranked a couple places higher than the Blue Devils, but both teams are top-5 to open the year. Look for a tight game from start to finish. In the end, bank on Kentucky to topple Duke late thanks to their experience and size inside.
The Blue Devils may be the better team by year’s end, but the group will need time to come together as a team. Bringing that many talented, youngster together takes time. We’ll see a lot of points in this one and some impressive play on both side, but look for a bit more consistency from Kentucky to lead to the win as Coach Calipari’s team owns the paint in this game.
Check out all of the live betting at BookMaker.eu for Tuesday’s college basketball.
Duke vs. Kentucky Score Prediction: Kentucky 82, Duke 77
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