By Gianluca Colageo Milea
NEW YORK-- Tuesday night marked yet another beginning for what will almost definitely be an eventful road to March.
The night began with some incredibly sloppy play, as Kansas and Duke combined for 44 turnovers. The game settled down in the 2nd half with Duke Freshman Cassius Stanley providing many notable highlight reel dunks in The Garden. Stanley finished the contest with 13 points.
The bright lights of MSG proved to be no match for first-year players on both teams, with 7 freshman seeing the floor and combining for a total of 42 of the 134 total points scored.
Tre Jones provided a much needed steady hand for the Blue Devils, as he had done for much of last season. Jones finished with 7 assists and only 3 turnovers in 39 minutes.
Udoka Azubuike was unable to provide the same production for the Jayhawks. The Senior Center had a tough time finding open shots all night finishing with 8 points on just 3/4 shooting.
Duke was ultimately able to prevail in a tight one with a final score of 68-66.
The madness did not end there. The prime time battle of #1 ranked Michigan State vs #2 Kentucky continued the eventful night of hoops.
Another Cassius proved to be the focal point of this game. Cassius Winston, the Spartans prized Senior guard did not disappoint. Thought of by many to be one of the top players in the country, Winston finished with 21 points and 4 assists; however, Kentucky was able to outshine Tom Izzo’s Spartans.
Calipari endorsed Winston in an interview prior to The State Farm Champions Classic, “He’s a good player. Plays with great pace. Plays with patience. Knows what he does well. And he’ll play for all 40 minutes.”
The Wildcats led by Sophomore guard Ashton Hagans were able to generate plenty of offense. Kentucky finished with 69 points on 38% shooting.
Hagans was able to ultimately lead his squad to a 1-0 start to the season, with a final score of 69-62.
Overall, both games left college basketball fans extremely excited for what is still to come. It will be interesting to watch the progression of these 4 teams and see where they fall come March.
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