Is a Match-up with Duke Looming?

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On Tuesday night, Kentucky showed why it is the number one team in the country. The only thing that kept the margin of victory over a fifth-ranked Kansas team under 40 points was a poor shooting night by Devin Booker. But the first game between Duke and Michigan State showed why the Blue Devils—and not Arizona or Wisconsin—might be the team standing in the Wildcats’ way of title number 9. John Clay writes:

"“This isn’t to say Duke was as impressive as Kentucky on Tuesday. No college basketball team in recent memory was as impressive as Kentucky was against the Jayhawks. Were the Cats and Blue Devils to meet this week or the final week of March, Kentucky would be favored, and justifiably so.Still, it would be fun this year to add another UK-Duke classic to the list. April 6 in Indy would be as good a time as any.”"

John Calipari frequently uses the word “sacrifice” to describe what his team is being asked to do this year—give up individual glory for the betterment of the team. But is that sacrifice being spread evenly or are some players giving up more because of the “platoon” system? Adam Himmelsbach writes:

"“Coach John Calipari has praised the Wildcats for embracing the 10-man platoon system, for accepting that they might be on a bench for longer than future NBA players are usually on a bench.In reality, though, this system has adversely affected the playing time of just two returning players: sophomore guards Aaron and Andrew Harrison.Through three games, Aaron Harrison’s minutes per game have decreased from 32.6 to 22, and his brother Andrew’s have been cut from 31.7 to 20. That’s a significant percentage, particularly for two players who seriously considered entering the draft last spring.”"

Arizona, Wisconsin, heck even Oklahoma—all have been mentioned as either potential NCAA champions this year in basketball or sleeper Final Four picks. So every game will be scrutinized to see how they’re playing in comparison to Kentucky. And on Wednesday night? C.L. Brown writes:

"“Top-ranked Kentucky may not always overwhelm teams the way it did in its 72-40 win over No. 5 Kansas on Tuesday night. But after that pummeling, the rest of college basketball knows full well what the Wildcats are capable of doing.Which brings us to Wednesday. If you just glanced at scores: No. 2 Arizona over UC Irvine 71-54; No. 3 Wisconsin 84-60 over Green Bay; No. 13 Gonzaga 94-42 over Saint Joseph’s; and if you only caught No. 18 Oklahoma’s second half lead of 42-24 over Creighton, it would appear every ranked team presents the same fear factor as Kentucky.That is not the case.”"

The college basketball season is barely 3-games deep and already the talk about whether Kentucky could beat an NBA team has reached bizzaro levels. On Wednesday, former Kentucky guard Eric Bledsoe offered his take. Patrick Dorsey writes:

"“‘I’m definitely taking Kentucky,’ Bledsoe said when presented with the scenario. ‘I think Philly would probably get maybe one game.’Bold statement. Philadelphia indeed is terrible and Kentucky appears to be great. But would a cast of current NBA players really lose to future ones?”"

Though they didn’t look like it—and a lot of UofL fans tried to deny it—Kansas is a good basketball team. It would not be surprising if Bill Self’s team made a deep run in the NCAA Tournament next spring and ended up back in Indianapolis in the Final Four. But, in order to do so, they’ll have to use the Kentucky game as a learning experience. Rob Goldberg writes:

"“As the season progresses, the young players will continue to improve and we will see that this is truly a top-five team. The important thing is that improvements are made and the squad does not get too dejected from a miserable defeat.There are plenty of lessons to be learned from the loss that can make the team better in the future, whether that means playing to their strengths or making adjustments to the lineup.If the players take the right attitude going forward, we could possibly be seeing this rematch in April.”"