CHICAGO — Even though the games are now played early in the second week of the college basketball season, the Champions Classic often feels like the first real chance to take stock of some of the best teams in men’s college basketball. Tuesday’s action was no different, as Michigan State upset Duke to deal Jon Scheyer’s squad an early setback while Kansas romped Kentucky to reignite question marks about Mark Pope’s future. 

With that in mind, here are the key takeaways (and maybe even some overreactions) for each of the four teams involved. 

Tyran Stokes will run away with the No. 1 pick

This may not be a hot take; Stokes entered the day as a clear favorite to be the best prospect in this NBA draft class. But Champions Classic is always a heavily scouted event by NBA teams, and they saw plenty of the moments that have made him such a highly billed prospect entering the season. Playing against the school that was the runner-up in his recruitment in a game Stokes admitted was “personal” to him, he was often the best player on the floor, posting 21 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. 

Most encouraging from the game was his three-point shooting.Stokes drilled four threes on eight attempts, looking comfortable playing off the catch and even hitting a three on the move. He came into the game just 1 of 4 from three in his first two games, but Bill Self said postgame he believed Stokes could shoot 40% from distance this season. 

Beyond the shooting, what really stood out for Stokes was his aggressiveness. He was outstanding in transition and consistently found ways to get downhill to the rim, but balanced that out with unselfish play and took care of the ball effectively. Simply put, there isn’t another player in this draft class (and very few prospects generally) who can pair his size, physicality and feel for the game. His ceiling is enormous, and assuming he keeps this up it’s hard to imagine anyone else being the No. 1 pick come June. 

Kentucky missed in the portal again 

The story of Kentucky’s 2025–26 campaign was its transfer portal misses; watching its reported $22 million roster simply not look overly talented at times was disheartening. So watching some of Kentucky’s high-priced portal acquisitions from the spring fall flat in their first big test was rather concerning. 

At the center of the question marks is the point guard position, where the Wildcats seem intent on a by-committee approach to ballhandling responsibilities between Furman transfer Alex Wilkins and Washington transfer Zoom Diallo. Wilkins had a brutal day, with five turnovers compared to just one assist while shooting 3 of 10 from the floor. Diallo scored effectively, but didn’t have an assist in the game. Without falling victim to one-game overreactions, it’s fair to say the Wildcats’ point guard play is a real concern entering a schedule that has plenty of marquee matchups over the next month. 

The other spot to monitor was the power forward position, where Kentucky’s eleventh-hour swing at Mark Mitchell flopped to leave them with international import Ousmane N’Diaye and James Madison transfer Justin McBride. Watching Kansas PF Tre White lead the game in scoring with 30 points while N’Diaye and McBride combined for four points and four rebounds can’t have given Wildcat fans the warm fuzzies. 

Duke doesn’t have an alpha 

The collection of talent Duke has assembled is devastating; its bench is littered with former five-stars and potential future NBA players. Two top-20 recruits in this past year’s class didn’t even get in the game for the Blue Devils on Tuesday. But watching Duke flounder offensively against a disruptive Michigan State defense was a reminder that this year’s version of Duke doesn’t have a guy who takes over games the way Cooper Flagg and Cameron Boozer did the last two years.

Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell was the guy the Blue Devils looked to most for instant offense; he was the team’s leader in shot attempts by far with 16 in the game. Patrick Ngongba II, who battled illness leading up to the game, has been a focal point in the team’s exhibitions and early season tune-ups. The 17-year-old Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje is Duke’s most talented player, but he was largely invisible vs. Michigan State with just five points and four rebounds. 

This was a game that cried out for an individual to take over and settle down a disoriented Duke offense … and a reminder the Blue Devils don’t have that guy. That means finding ways to manufacture offense when dragged into half-court slugfests like many teams will try to force them to play. There’s no reason for panic, but it wasn’t the best first impression of what Duke looks like when tested. 

Jordan Scott’s sophomore leap has arrived 

Scott is quickly turning into a classic Michigan State developmental story: a top-60 recruit humble enough to earn his keep early, blossom into a starter late as a freshman and explode as a sophomore and beyond. Tom Izzo has been singing his praises for a while, but his national coming-out party came Tuesday night with a defensive master class that set the tone for Michigan State’s win. 

His six blocks headline the box score, topping even the five points he scored in the game. And somehow stat undersells his full defensive impact, stacking up deflections, taking Duke’s wings out of their comfort zone and flying around as a help defender in gaps and on drives. Jeremy Fears Jr.’s 18-point, 11-assist stat line was impressive, but Scott won the Spartans that game. 

Scott didn’t shoot the ball well Tuesday, but has been off to a solid start offensively in his sophomore campaign. When you add in defense like this, he quickly becomes one of the most impactful two-way players in the Big Ten and nationally.

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