Wins in November count the same as wins in February, but the Champions Classic always brings with it a reason for overreaction. Duke has traditionally fared well in this event but had one of their worst performances in it on Tuesday, getting pushed around by a more athletic Michigan State side in a 79-73 defeat at the United Center in Chicago.
The loss could be problematic for the Blue Devils, who face an extremely challenging schedule over the next several weeks. Let's dive deeper into the Blue Devils and what else you may have missed in the latest College Basketball Wraparound.
What you missed in college basketball this week:
Duke may be a work in progress
Expectations were high for the Blue Devils thanks to a strong returning core for Jon Scheyer, headlined by Dame Sarr, Patrick Ngongba II and Caleb Foster. Adding in an experienced scoring guard via the transfer portal in John Blackwell and top freshmen like Derron Rippey Jr. and Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje give Duke the look of a long and lean title contender, but they were not up for the physical effort Michigan State showed them on Tuesday.
Despite being undersized compared to the Blue Devils, the Spartans used a lightning fast attack from star point guard Jeremy Fears Jr and elite defensive rotations to frustrate Duke. Physicality was also a battle the Spartans won handily, only losing the rebounding battle by two and watching lengthy wing Jordan Scott block six shots, including an emphatic denial of a three from Sarr to put a capper on the win.
JORDAN SCOTT WHAT A BLOCK pic.twitter.com/Nmp7qyZBwq
— Oate Noats (@OatetheNoats) November 11, 2026
Losing a game like this in a vacuum isn't a long-term issue for Duke, but the issues the Spartans exposed could come to roost in a brutal stretch of their schedule. After a home date against SIU Edwardsville this weekend, three of the Blue Devils' next four games come against No. 3 Illinois, No. 4 UConn in Las Vegas during Feast Week and at No. 1 Florida in the ACC/SEC Men's Challenge. Jon Scheyer's team will need to improve considerably to survive that gauntlet with less than two total losses.
The seat under Mark Pope is scorching at Kentucky
It's never a good thing when you become a subject of the Tiny Desk meme less than two weeks into the season but Kentucky was ripe for mocking after a terrible showing in Chicago. No. 15 Kansas blitzed the Wildcats early and often, rolling to a 20-point win that wasn't even that close if you watched the full 40 minutes.
Kentucky's backcourt offered little resistance to Kansas' dynamic duo of Tre White and Tyran Stokes, who combined for 53 of the team's 89 points. Perimeter shooting was also a big issue for No. 24 Kentucky, which knocked down just 4-of-21 triple tries compared to a 10-for-26 showing out of the Jayhawks.
The warning signs have been blaring for Kentucky, which barely survived James Madison at home before this debacle. The next litmus test for embattled head coach Mark Pope figures to be on Nov. 20, when the Wildcats renew their rivalry with Indiana in a nationally televised Friday night game on CBS, and a loss at Lucas Oil Stadium could ratchet the pressure on him up considerably.
Texas Tech shows grit against Illinois
The underrated filling in between the Champions Classic sandwich on Tuesday was a compelling non-conference showdown in Lubbock between No. 3 Illinois and No. 16 Texas Tech. The Red Raiders jumped out to a huge lead early, hitting the break with a 20-point lead, but had to hold on for dear life to withstand a furious Illini rally in an 84-78 win that will be a signature point on their NCAA Tournament resume.
The star of the night was Hofstra transfer Cruz Davis, who led all scorers with 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting. The effort from Texas Tech was a well-balanced team performance, which could set them up nicely to be a dark horse Final Four team once they get J.T. Toppin back in the second half of the season.
Toppin has been sidelined since February with a torn ACL and could be back at some point during conference play. Adding a player like Toppin, who was a legitimate National Player of the Year contender before the knee injury, could turn Texas Tech from a second weekend threat to a title threat.
What to watch for this weekend:
No. 12 Arizona at Auburn: Friday, 9:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2
The Wildcats already have one loss this season and could pick up a second with a dangerous trip to Neville Arena for a true road game against Auburn. The Tigers, who parlayed last year's NCAA Tournament snub into a team-building NIT title, obliterated both of their opening week opponents and have a full week of rest to prepare for this game, which makes them a very live underdog.
LSU vs. No. 14 Gonzaga: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network
This game will be played at a bigger arena in Spokane, making it a de facto home game for Gonzaga, but the interesting watch here will be to see how Will Wade's assemblage of talent fares against a Top 15 opponent. The Tigers have a wide array of international players, fifth-year veterans and youngsters that can gel into something special but they haven't been tested like they will against a Mark Few team.
No. 10 Louisville at Memphis: Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET on ESPN
We'll end the weekend with a sneaky-good showdown between Louisville's great portal experiment and Memphis, which was one of the biggest snubs from this week's AP Top 25 poll. A Tuesday loss to No. 22 Vanderbilt was a set back for Penny Hardaway's group, but wins against a ranked Iowa State team and A-10 top dog VCU have them more battle-tested for this contest than the Cardinals, who will be playing their first true road game of the season.
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