The Champions Classic tips off Tuesday night with a pair of games between college basketball bluebloods at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The second game will take place between the No. 6 Kansas Jayhawks and the No. 7 Duke Blue Devils at 9:30 p.m. ET. Oddsmakers are expecting a close game with college basketball betting odds hitting the board with the Jayhawks as 1.5-point favorites before jumping the fence to favor the Blue Devils at -1.5.
Read my best college basketball picks and predictions for Duke vs. Kansas below.
Duke vs Kansas best odds
Duke vs Kansas picks and predictions
Neither team has been tested so far this season after steamrolling small-conference schools last week. Although the Duke Blue Devils could be a juggernaut by the time March Madness rolls around, their inexperience gives the Kansas Jayhawks a slight edge at this point in the season.
The Blue Devils have been starting three freshmen in Kyle Filipowski, Mark Mitchell, and Tyrese Proctor while another Dereck Lively II (the top-rated recruit in the nation according to 247sports and ESPN) will play big minutes as well.
The Jayhawks also have a few highly-regarded freshmen but only guard Gradey Dick (averaging 17.5 ppg on 58.3% shooting in his first two games) will be required to start.
Wooden Award candidate Jalen Wilson, point guard Dajuan Harris, Texas Tech transfer Kevin McCullar, and K.J. Adams round out an experienced lineup with other vets like Bobby Pettiford and Joseph Yesufu coming off the bench.
Harris, McCullar, and Adams are also very tough defenders which give Kansas an advantage on that end of the floor. In what should be a physical contest between a pair of programs with similar athleticism and talent, I'll back the squad with more experience and superior defensive chops.
My best bet: Kansas +1.5 (-110 at FanDuel)
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Duke vs Kansas spread analysis
The Blue Devils lost in the Final Four last season but now have a completely different rotation with the exception of junior point guard Jeremy Roach.
They added swingman Jacob Grandison and center Ryan Young through the transfer portal from the Big Ten and those upperclassmen will need to provide a stabilizing influence on an extremely young lineup.
Lively is a bit behind in his development after missing a few weeks with a calf injury while the other top player in the class Dariq Whitehead is still rehabbing after undergoing foot surgery in August.
That said, Filipowski, Mitchell, and Proctor all played well last week with Duke cruising to a 27-point win over Jacksonville and clobbering South Carolina Upstate 84-38.
The Jayhawks began their defense of the National Championship with easy victories against Nebraska-Omaha and North Dakota State. However, they failed to cover the massive spreads in both contests, just missing the -24.5 line in Saturday's 82-59 win against the Bison.
Kansas also lost a ton of talent from last season but returning starters Wilson and Harris look ready to take the next step.
McCullar is a big addition after averaging 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game while being named a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist with Texas Tech last year.
With this expected to be a close contest, it will be interesting to see what in-game adjustments the coaches will make. Jon Scheyer has been an assistant at Duke since 2014 but the 35-year-old is in his first year as the head coach after the legendary Mike Krzyzewski retired.
Meanwhile, Norm Roberts will lead the Jayhawks with Bill Self continuing to serve a four-game suspension although Self is allowed to help his team prepare outside of a 24-hour period before tip-off.
Duke vs Kansas Over/Under analysis
It's tough to handicap the total in this contest since both teams have so many new players and had lopsided results against weak opposition last week.
It seems likely that neither team will be able to score at will like they did last week but they also won't be shutting each other down.
However, it is worth mentioning that neither team played at a fast pace in Week 1 with Duke 249th in the country in adjusted tempo according to KenPom and Kansas ranked 119th.
If they didn't play at a breakneck pace against those overmatched unathletic squads, I don't see them playing at a speedy tempo in this one.
Duke vs Kansas betting trend to know
The Under is 8-3 in the Jayhawks' last 11 games versus a team with a winning percentage above .600. Find more College basketball betting trends for Duke vs. Kansas.
Duke vs Kansas game info
| Location: | Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN |
| Date: | Tuesday, November 15, 2022 |
| Tip-off: | 9:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ESPN |
