On Tuesday night, the Kentucky Wildcats will square off against the #15 Kansas Jayhawks in the Champions Classic in Chicago, a game that will tell us a lot about where Mark Pope's squad is at early into the season.

This Kansas team features a couple of star players, including the nation's #1 prospect in the 2026 class, Tyran Stokes, transfer forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, and veteran guard Tre White. Kentucky will have its hands full on both of ends of the floor, but here are three things they need to do to come away with a big win in Chicago.

Find an answer for Trey Kaufman-Renn

Kansas fans learned all about why their pursuit of Trey Kaufman-Renn from Purdue was such a big deal in their last game. In their season-opener against Fordham, the 6-9 forward put up nine points, five rebounds, two assists and a block off the bench. But then, as a starter last time out, he exploded for a game-high 17 points on 7-8 shooting, four rebounds, two assists and a block. He has been a huge part of their offensive success and that means Kentucky will need to contain him. Who can, or will, guard him is the question entering this game. Can Ousmane N'Diaye step up? Kentucky doesn't really have a clear defensive stopper in the frontcourt.

Shoot it well from three

Since their season-opener, Kansas has been elite at guarding the three, really bothering opponents with their length. Against Middle Tennessee State, the Jayhawks held them to just 17-68 shooting overall. They also forced 16 turnovers in that one. As we have seen with this Kentucky team, when the ball isn't moving and shots aren't falling, they can get into deep water if they are forced to rely on defense. This is a game where they're going to need to knock down shots or it could be a long night. Last game, Milan Momcilovic went just 1-8 from deep. That can't happen on the big stage against Kansas.

Defensive rotations need to be on point

Other than guys like Tre White and reserve Luke Barnett, there hasn't been many shooting threats showing themselves on this Kansas roster. What this team has been great at is getting to the rim. In their season-opener, Kansas got to the free throw line 30 times before then going 12-22 there last time out. Anyway, the Jayhawks love scoring down low and have athletic guys everywhere. Speaking of that, a guy like Tyran Stokes, who has not asserted himself much this season, could turn up the heat any second, so Kentucky will need to be aware of that. This Kansas team has also been sloppy at times, committing 17 turnovers against Fordham, where their opponent was able to grab 12 steals. If Kentucky can be disruptive, that could lead to more scoring opportunities of their own.

This season, we have seen this Kentucky team have one game with an impressive defensive performance and one on offense where the threes and points off turnovers were flowing, as well as a game that saw them struggle bad defensively contesting shots. Can they put it together in their first real test of the season?

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