The annual College Basketball Champions Classic is back, with perennial national contenders Kentucky Basketball and Kansas as the late-game of the double-header. The Wildcats had a long and public offseason but came into the season with a top-25 roster, coming off victories over James Madison and Manhattan.
But the Jayhawks will be one of the toughest tests for the program this season, with plenty of talent. What do the Wildcats need to do to get the neutral site victory? Here are three specific keys to the game for the SEC team.
1. Dominating the three-point battle
Coach Mark Pope’s plan of attack this season looks to include the three-point line, once they landed last year’s three-point shooting leader, Milan Momcilovic. As expected, he’s taken 17 threes in the first two games, shooting 41% from deep. They’ve made 22 in the first two games and will likely need to reach double figures against Kansas on Tuesday night to feel good about winning.
2. Limiting Tyran Stokes
The big storyline in this game is No. 1 freshman prospect Stokes playing, producing 23 points and 12 rebounds in the first two games in limited action. Kentucky will be his first true test of the regular season, with Stokes being the clear focus for Kentucky to deal with. Look for athletic starting forward Osumane N’Diaye to get much of the assignment on Stokes, as well as Braydeon Hawthorne and Justin McBride off the bench.
3. Good games from Wilkins and Diallo
With the news that Kansas starting guard Melvin Council Jr. is out indefinitely with a foot injury, that gives Kentucky even more of an advantage in the backcourt. But we’ll need to see more from Alex Wilkins and Zoom Diallo, two transfer newcomers who have had some ups and downs in the preseason. They can get away with that against inferior competition but against a quality program like Kansas, even without Council, it won’t end well.
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