4 players to watch in State Farm Champions Classic Tuesday night

Kansas – Udoka Azubuike

Youth versus experience; Self vs. Cal; Udoka Azubuike facing off against a billion future NBA big men.

We could literally end this section of Udoka Azubuike right there, as his job is going to be trying to match Kentucky’s incredible depth at the center position, but there’s some bigger picture stuff to keep your eyes on.

Azubuike is a legit 7-footer, who has enough weight on that lengthy body to muscle with other large humanoids near the basket. That’s the good. The known.

The bad? We don’t exactly yet know his ceiling. Last season, he wasn’t incredibly aggressive on the offensive end of the floor and often times looking lost while playing defense. The latter of the two is not all that concerning, considering he was only a freshman last season.

Historically speaking, big men take longer to develop than guards. While there are a bunch of unicorns trotting about NBA hardwoods currently saying otherwise, Azubuike is far closer to being a traditional big than he is a mythological beast.

In one game this season, he scored 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting, while adding 6 rebounds and 2 blocks to his boxscore tally. Those fancy numbers were acquired against Tennessee State, making them nearly useless in terms of data gathering.

The Jayhawks, who are looking to win the Big 12 title for its infinity-time in a row, will need him to continue to evolve as a big man. On Tuesday, he’s got a real tough test on his hands. Even if he doesn’t dominate or play well, it could help him grow up in a hurry, aiding Bill Self’s roster development in the process.