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The college basketball season has arrived, and what better way to kick off the action than a battle between the two best teams in college basketball history? In only their third game of the season, fans will get to watch Kansas take on Kentucky. Kansas is the number one team in the nation right now, and the two teams are first and second in total wins throughout school history. It is sure to be an intense matchup. Here is everything you need to know on how to watch, as well as a deep dive into the two schools' history against each other.
When and where is the Champions Classic?
The Champions Classic features four teams. Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, and Michigan State. It is a true indicator of the start of the college basketball season. The teams will be playing in the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Kansas and Kentucky play at 9:30 p.m. ET on Nov. 14.
How to watch Kansas vs. Kentucky
The game can viewed on ESPN. It can also be streamed using fuboTV or with WatchESPN or the ESPN app.
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 14 | Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
Location: United Center — Chicago, Illinois
TV channel: ESPN | Live stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)
Odds: Kansas -5.5 O/U 150.5
Kansas storylines
Kansas is the top-ranked team in college basketball, but they aren't the leader in total school wins. That honor now belongs to Kentucky. Kansas was the record holder, but the NCAA recently vacated 15 of their wins. That means Kentucky's 2,379 career wins are the most in Division 1 history.
Kansas will want to quickly reclaim that title, though, and they have the talent to do so. The team dominated their first two games against small schools on the back of one of the biggest transfer additions in college basketball history. Hunter Dickinson had a legendary career at Michigan, but he is playing his senior season with the Jayhawks. The big man is a National College Basketball Player of the Year candidate, and he is displaying why early. Dickinson is averaging 19.5 points and eight rebounds per game. At seven foot one inches, Dickinson is a force in the paint on both sides of the court.
The center is not alone, though. Kansas has a number of other talented players, most of which are new to the program. The team returned only four scholarship players for this season, making it even more impressive that they are starting off the year as the number-one ranked team.
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Nicolas Timberlake and Parker Braun are two other key transfers this year. The team has some young, talented players, which means veteran leadership will be huge. Timberlake is in his sixth year of college basketball, while Braun is in his fifth season. The two transferred from Towson and Santa Clara, respectively, and both have played key roles in the team's first two games.
Of course, Kevin McCullar will be one of the most important players in the Jayhawks squad. While he isn't a transfer from this season, he did transfer to the team before last year after spending three years at Texas Tech. The guard is the leader of the team, and he has already increased his scoring production. McCullar is averaging 18.5 points per game so far, a significant increase from the 10.7 he averaged last year.
Elmarko Jackson highlights the freshman crop of players. The guard was ranked as the 26th-best freshman by ESPN. Early this season, he has actually been outplayed by Johnny Furphy. Furphy is averaging 10.5 points per game. Both freshmen are expected to play big roles this year, but overall, Kansas is an old and experienced team. That philosophy of having veterans has been successful for many programs in recent seasons, especially with it becoming more frequent for players to play more than four years of college basketball. The experienced Jayhawks team will expect to maintain the top spot in the AP Polls all year long.
Kentucky storylines
Like Kansas, but unlike the other two teams in the Champions Classic, Kentucky is still undefeated. They aren't nearly as old as Kansas. Kentucky is always one of the best recruiting teams in the nation, as John Calipari likes to recruit the top one-and-done candidates. That remains the case this year. Kentucky's number one recruiting class features five of the top 23 players, including three of the top six.
Justin Edwards, D.J. Wagner, Robert Dillingham, and Reed Sheppard have all played huge roles to start the season. Those freshman – and Jordan Burks, a freshman ranked outside of the top 100 – are combining for 51.5 points per game.
The freshmen are assisted by two fifth-year seniors that didn't start their careers in Kentucky. Tre Mitchell is on his fourth program in five years, and Antonio Reeves is playing his second season under Calipari after playing his first three years at Illinois State.
Kentucky's biggest problem against Kansas may be that they don't have the size to match up with Dickinson, who stands over seven feet tall. The Wildcats will look to counter this by using their speed and athleticism to thrive in transition with the hope of tiring out Dickinson. This will also allow them to score before he even has a chance to get back on defense.
Aaron Bradshaw – the number six ranked freshman recruit – would go a long way in helping to stop Dickinson. Bradshaw is a seven-footer, but he has missed the first couple of games with a foot injury. It is unlikely that the big man will be ready to play against Kansas, but his return seems imminent after a recent Instagram post.
History of Kansas vs. Kentucky
Kansas and Kentucky are arguably the two most prestigious basketball programs in the nation. Their game on Nov. 14 will be just a few days after Bill Self signed a contract to become the highest-paid coach in college basketball. The coach he surpassed to claim that title was John Calipari. Both coaches are not only two of the best currently in the college game, but they are two of the best coaches ever.
The Champions Classic started in 2011, and Kansas and Kentucky have played each other four times in it. Kentucky won the first two matchups, while Kansas has won the two more recent games.
While they have been evenly matched in the Champions Classic, Kentucky has had the edge all time. Kentucky is 24-11 against Kansas overall.
Overall, Kentucky has eight NCAA National Championships, while Kansas has four. Kansas must win six more games than Kentucky this year to reclaim the title as the most-winningest program in college basketball history. Therefore, this is a massive game to not only start the 2023-24 season, but for the overall legacy of the two historic programs.
