There wasn't much drama in the first week of the college basketball season and it left a lot of fans wanting more important games as the schedule did itself no favors in regards to drawing eyeballs to the games played during opening week of the 2022-23 schedule. Every ranked team played two games, and there were a few that stumbled, so there was some action, but there were a grand total of zero games featured ranked teams facing other ranked teams.
That changes Tuesday with not just a ranked-on-ranked showdown -- but a top-10 one, at that -- as part of a Champions Classic nightcap between No. 6 Kansas and No. 7 Duke.
The first game of the Champions Classic between No. 4 Kentucky and Michigan State is a nice warm-up to get us ready for the big evening sendoff between the reigning national champion Jayhawks and the Blue Devils. And from Duke's new coach to Kansas' suspended coach, there are no shortage of storylines to follow ahead of one of the sport's first big games of the season.
Here is how you can watch and what to know ahead of the big game.
How to watch Duke vs. Kansas live
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 15 | Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse -- Indianapolis
TV: ESPN | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Duke vs. Kansas: Need to know
How does Jon Scheyer fare? Taking over for Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski at Duke are shoes big enough that even Shaq may not be able to fill them. But the former Duke star turned assistant who is now the head coach of the Blue Devils carries with him some lofty expectations. He's recruited a top-five roster in the sport led by multiple five-star freshmen and a savvy vet in Jeremy Roach to help run the show. Duke is 2-0 on the season thus far but it -- and by extension, Scheyer -- has not been tested to the extreme it will be tested Tuesday against Kansas.
KU without Self: Kansas suspended Hall of Fame coach Bill Self for the first four games of the 2022-23 season as a result of the IARP's ongoing investigation into potential recruiting improprieties committed by him, assistant Kurtis Townsend and the basketball program. So the big game -- which theoretically could have pitted two Hall of Famers against one another in Self and Krzyzewski -- does lose a little luster on the surface. Assistant coach Norm Roberts is a perfect 2-0 on the season leading KU without Self and Townsend, but this, like Scheyer, is far and away the toughest test he will face so far.
Defending the crown: Kansas owns the longest win streak in Division I men's college basketball at 13 games after winning its final 11 games to end the 2021-22 season and taking home the national championship. It's the 17th time (!) Kansas since Bill Self took over the program has amassed a winning streak of 10 or more games.
Who will win and cover in every college basketball game? Visit SportsLine to get picks from the model that simulates each game 10,000 times and is up more than $1,200 for $100 players on its top-rated spread picks the past six years.
Duke vs. Kansas prediction, picks
No Bill Self, no problem for Duke? That's [Simon Cowell voice] gonna be a no from me. I actually like Kansas by a smidge in this one. Jalen Wilson has looked All-American good, KU's defense has been killer and its flexibility to play big and small could give Duke fits. With Duke big man Dereck Lively still working his way back from injury and maybe not 100% combined with the likely absence of fellow five-star freshman Dariq Whitehead, who hasn't played this season after undergoing offseason surgery, Duke isn't quite full strength entering this one. The odds suggest it'll be a close one, and it probably will be, but I lean toward Kansas. Prediction: Kansas -1
