Kentucky Basketball: 3 keys to beat Duke in 2021 Champions Classic matchup

3. AJ Griffin vs Kellan Grady

One thing head coach John Calipari wanted to focus on this offseason was to “get older” and not have a bunch of underclassmen on the roster that is prone to mistakes. Including Tshiebwe, the Wildcats added four D-I transfers. I’ve mentioned Tshiebwe and Wheeler already and there’s also Iowa transfer sharpshooter CJ Fredrick. However, he’s been injured most of the offseason and has reportedly just returned to practice, so it’s had to envision he’ll playing against Duke on Tuesday.

One transfer who will is Kellan Grady, a 5th-year transfer out of Davidson with a career average of 17.4 ppg and going for at least 17.0 ppg in every season. Offensively, he’s as consistent as it comes, shooting 37% from three-point range at around six attempts a game. The 6’5 wing gives Kentucky a great shooting option on the perimeter and a consistent double-digit scorer on a nightly basis.

The opposing wing on Duke’s side will be AJ Griffin a top-10 freshman prospect and a 6’7 versatile forward. He’s not the shooter that Grady is but is an outstanding athlete and can score on the inside. The contrast in both styles and experience at this positional matchup will not only be fun to watch but also play a key factor in who wins this game.

Duke needs Griffin to provide scoring assistance on offense, while Kentucky needs the shooting from Grady to maximize their own offensive gameplan. While Grady is older, he hasn’t played in games like this so it’ll be a new experience for both of them. Both sides need these respective starters to have a good game and whoever does will put their teams on track to victory.