Welcome to “The Daily Scoop”, an article to bring you up to date with the latest news from college basketball and a preview of the day ahead.

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Michigan State takes on #1 Kansas in Champions Classic opener (6:30 ET, ESPN)

The Champions Classic always signals to me that college basketball is well and truly back, and this year should be no exception. We’ve seen Baylor/Gonzaga, UNC/Kansas, and Auburn/Houston, but to me there’s something special about the doubleheader that is the Champions Classic. The AP’s #1 team, Kansas, will take on Michigan State in the first matchup of the night at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

Through the Jayhawks’ first two games, they’re 2-0 with a blowout win over Howard and a tightly contested win vs North Carolina. South Dakota State transfer Zeke Mayo leads the Jayhawks in scoring at 20 ppg, while star big man Hunter Dickinson (18 ppg, 8 rpg) has had a productive start to his National Player of the Year campaign.

Michigan State is also 2-0, winning in blowout fashion at the Breslin Center against Monmouth and Niagara. There haven’t been too many questions asked by the opponents thus far, but it’s important to note that Jaden Akins finally looks like he could be a go-to guy, averaging 16.5 ppg on a 56.5% mark from the field through the opening week.

Looking at the matchups between the two sides, I think the biggest battle will be between Hunter Dickinson and the MSU bigs, likely Jaxon Kohler or Szymon Zapala. We saw UNC struggle to contain Dickinson in the first half, but ultimately throw enough different looks at him to make him uncomfortable and stay in the game. I think Michigan State’s guards are well equipped to deal with the stars Kansas has on the wings and if the Spartans can slow the game down (UNC’s fast pace both helped and hurt them at times), I like Tom Izzo’s squad to come away with a signature win early on in the campaign.

Experience vs talent as #19 Kentucky takes on #6 Duke to close Tuesday night (9:00 ET, ESPN)

Kentucky vs Duke is likely the game that will garner more headlines in the sporting world come Wednesday morning, featuring the two bigger brands and college basketball’s most well-known name. We’ve seen Duke freshmen – Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and Paolo Banchero – to name a few, light up Kentucky in the Champions Classic before, and Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel are looking to add their names to that list.

The Blue Devils have kept their opponents at a distance through the opening week, handling Maine and Army at home for an average win margin of 38 points. Knueppel leads Duke in scoring with 18.5 ppg through the opening week and has shot 7-14 from behind the arc. Flagg’s impact has come from all over the floor, as expected, making his mark with 15.5 ppg, 9 rpg, 4 apg, and 2.5 spg last week. These two young studs will have their first big matchup tonight facing off against an ultra-experienced Kentucky side.

The experience-laden Kentucky squad has only played two competitive games as a team, but the incoming transfers all had big impacts at their previous stops. Just as Duke obliterated its opening week opponents, Kentucky did the same, scoring 100 or more in wins over Wright State and Bucknell. Dayton transfer Koby Brea (19 ppg) has had an extremely fun start to life under Mark Pope, hitting 10 of his 12 three-pointers on the young season and leading the Wildcats in scoring.

Looking at how these two teams play; I think the safest guarantee in this game is that there will be a TON of points. It’s the first big game together for either group of players, with Duke depending on three stud freshmen to lead the way and Kentucky boasting a roster of nearly entirely transfers. I think this game plays in Kentucky’s favor, with the Wildcats running and gunning and forcing the Duke freshmen into a lot of uncomfortable play. Lamont Butler may be the most impactful player in this one in my eyes, and I think his perimeter defense makes everything Duke will try to do offensively much tougher, leading the Wildcats to an upset victory in SEC country.

Other Things to Note:

• Grant Nelson’s 22 points leads #2 Alabama to 72-64 win over McNeese State
• #13 Purdue squeaks past Yale behind Braden Smith’s 22-9-6 stat line
• Dylan Harper scores 24, Ace Bailey still a DNP as Rutgers gets by Saint Peter’s in the second half
• Big 5 Classic tips off as Villanova meets St. Joseph’s (5:00 ET, CBSSN)
• North Florida goes for the trifecta of P5 wins at Georgia (7:00 ET, ESPN+)