Why Champions Classic game vs. Duke may not set tone for KU basketball’s season
Kansas’ performance in the early-season Champions Classic has not always accurately predicted what’s to come for the Jayhawks during the ensuing months of a marathon college basketball season.
“We’ve had situations when we’ve played in that Classic and we played great and had ‘good’ years, and we’ve had times when we played in that Classic and played awful and then go on to the Final Four,” KU acting head coach Norm Roberts said in discussing the one-day doubleheader that for the past 11 seasons has brought together Kansas, Kentucky, Duke and Michigan State for an entertaining evening of blue-blood basketball.
“It’s a great atmosphere to play in. It’s great for our guys to enjoy that and compete at a very, very high level, but it’s not a make-or-break game,” Roberts added. “But our guys are excited about it and they should be.”
The Jayhawks (2-0) will take on the Duke Blue Devils (2-0) at approximately 8:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Kentucky (2-0 with wins over Howard and Duquesne) will take on Michigan State (1-1 with win over Northern Arizona and loss to Gonzaga) in the first game, which starts at 6 p.m Central.
Per Roberts’ point, the Jayhawks struggled in the initial Champions Classic, falling to Kentucky by double digits (75-65) in November of 2011. The Jayhawks that season won the Big 12, went 32-7 and advanced to the NCAA championship game, losing to UK once again, 67-59.
In November of 2015, KU lost to Michigan State 79-73 in the Champions Classic but wound up winning the Big 12, going 33-5 overall and reaching the Elite Eight, where the Jayhawks lost to Villanova.
On the flip side, KU defeated Duke 94-83 in the Classic in November of 2013. That was the season KU won the Big 12 (by two games) but went 25-10 overall and lost to Stanford in the second round of the NCAAs. In November of 2018, KU beat Michigan State in the Classic 92-87 during a season in which KU placed third in the league standings and lost in the second round of the NCAAs to Auburn.
The 2020-21 season, the year KU played before just a spattering of fans in arena because of COVID-19, KU won its Champions Classic game against Kentucky 65-62, ultimately losing in the second-round of the NCAA bubble to USC. KU placed second in the league that season.
KU a year ago won the national title in the same season the Jayhawks opened with an 87-74 win over Michigan State in the Champions Classic.
“I don’t think the Champions Classic, the outcome, has anything to do with how successful your season is,” KU coach Bill Self said in a past interview. Self will not coach the team Tuesday, as he’s sitting out the first four games of the regular season in response to the NCAA’s three-year investigation into KU basketball.
Self has led KU to a 6-5 overall record in the Champions Classic. Duke is 7-4, Kentucky is 5-6 and Michigan State is 4-7. KU is 2-1 against Duke at the Classic and 2-2 against both Michigan State and UK.
“It’s one of those deals (where) it’s an all-win, no-lose game. Nobody’s going to look at it and say, ‘Oh, you lost to Kentucky,’ or, ‘You lost to Duke or Michigan State,’ and have that be a negative. We started 2-4 in it (the first six years) and we were a 1 or 2 seed every year we lost,” Self said.
“I do think what this game does early in the season, … it obviously can give you confidence but makes you more aware of who you are. I think that’s always good,” Self added.
KU has opened the regular season with home wins over Omaha (89-64) and North Dakota State (82-59). Duke defeated USC Upstate (84-38) on Friday after upending Jacksonville in the opener on Monday (71-44).
“The Duke game will be a lot of fun. It’ll be exciting for our guys,” Roberts said. “I think what you gain from it is, here comes big-boy ball. This is big-boy ball right here. You’ve got to be ready for a big-time atmosphere, playing guys who had the same dreams, aspirations that you have. A lot of these kids have played each other before. They know each other. Being in an NCAA-type atmosphere, it’ll be exciting for our guys.”
Self has said of the Classic: “It’s a fun event. It is a fun night. All eyes will be on the four teams playing there to an extent. Nobody gets the exposure you get that night. You do this for a long time because there are certain things that get your motor running or juices flowing. This is a great way to do that, not only for players but coaches as well.”
KU has four scholarship freshmen who will get their first exposure to that environment in Gradey Dick, Ernest Udeh, Zuby Ejiofor and MJ Rice.
“The bottom line,” Self said of the Champions Classic, is “all the guys who are playing in this need to learn how to adjust and play in this. This is what we’re hopeful of playing in later as well,” he added of high-profile games in the NCAAs.
The Jayhawks in winning by 25 points then 23 points in their first two games obviously did not look past those opponents leading up to the Duke game.
“With our guys, we are just trying to get better as a team all the time,” Roberts said. “We told the guys it’s not about who we are playing. They are good teams, but we’re talking about how we can improve as a team, defensively, offensively, rebounding. We’re a long way from where we are going to be and where coach (Self) wants us to be. We’re gaining on it, getting better.”
It will be another busy week for KU. The Jayhawks leave for Indy after practice Monday, will return to Lawrence in the early hours of Wednesday morning after the game and then play Southern Utah at 7 p.m. Friday in Allen Fieldhouse.
