Duke Basketball: 10 predictions for the Blue Devils' 2018-19 season

Duke Basketball: 10 predictions for the Blue Devils’ 2018-19 season

OMAHA, NE - MARCH 25: The Duke Blue Devils cheerleaders carry their schools flags on to the court prior to the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Midwest Regional against the Kansas Jayhawks at CenturyLink Center on March 25, 2018 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

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OMAHA, NE – MARCH 23: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils instructs (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

1. Duke will knock off Kentucky in the Champions Classic

This Nov. 6 matchup will be one of the most highly anticipated games of the college basketball season. Not only will this be one of the first games of the year but it will also feature two teams that will almost assuredly be ranked in the preseason top-5. The two “one-and-done” powerhouses of the nation will go head-to-head in this neutral-site matchup in Indianapolis. This game will feature seven of the top-15 recruits in the nation and you can be sure that there will be plenty of NBA scouts in attendance.

As far as how this affects the college basketball landscape, the outcome of this game could easily be the difference between who receives a No. 1 seed and who doesn’t at the end of the year. Yes, both of these teams are that good. The major advantage that Kentucky will have in this matchup is experience. Rising senior leader (and Stanford transfer) Reid Travis brings a new wrinkle to Kentucky this year and that will be hard for Duke’s youngsters to stop.

However, this will be Duke’s major opening game of the year and the college debut for just about the entire starting lineup. That adrenaline could carry the Blue Devils to victory. Historically, Duke has won three out of the last four match-ups between these two schools but UK took the last one.

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