College basketball reentered the national consciousness on Tuesday night as familiar blue-bloods Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan State squared off in the Champions Classic in Indianapolis. Let’s examine, assess and grade a few of the event’s most interesting themes and outcomes.
Kentucky’s platoon system: B+
Kentucky vs. Kansas may have lacked drama, but the Champions Classic remains a great event. (Darron Cummings AP)
With the glut of talent on this year’s Kentucky roster (as if Kentucky ever doesn’t possess a glut of talent), John Calipari has taken to a ‘platoon’ system wherein he substitutes five guys at a time – two entirely different lineups – throughout each game. That approach, seldom seen at college hoops’ highest level, went swimmingly on Tuesday night as the ‘Blue Platoon’ (38 points, seven blocks) and ‘White Platoon’ (28 points, four blocks) each had an important hand in dominating Kansas from start to finish. Works like a charm, right? Well, maybe. While Calipari denies that his scheme amounts to ‘communism,’ one does have to wonder if the more inefficient or ineffectual players will end up receiving too much playing time as a result of this strategy in the future. Let’s say, for example, that Marcus Lee is consistently less effective than his Blue Platoon counterpart for a prolonged stretch – it wouldn’t make much sense to continue giving him equal or similar minutes each night. That said, the Wildcats drubbed the Jayhawks by 32 points, and – as the saying goes – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Early-season drama: D-
This event has generally produced very good, very tight contests,in the previous three iterations, with only a few points separating each team. Even last year’s 11-point Kansas win over Duke – the Jabari Parker vs. Andrew Wiggins game – was tied with under five minutes to play. That level of drama was nowhere to be found on Tuesday night, however, as Duke largely controlled things for the full 40 minutes against Michigan State, and Kentucky absolutely manhandled Kansas. We’ve been spoiled up to this point and were probably due for a couple blowouts (it’s a testament to the consistent excellence of each program that the first three years were so good), but it’s still a bummer. Hopefully the drama returns in 2015.
The freshmen, in aggregate: A-
Several of the country’s most heralded freshmen took to the court last night in Indianapolis, and, by and large, they were pretty darn excellent. Duke freshmen Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow combined for 61 percent of the Blue Devils’ scoring, with Okafor dominating the game’s early stages and Jones taking over late. Kentucky newcomer Karl-Anthony Towns was also a beast, tallying nine points, eight rebounds and four swats, while fellow freshmen Trey Lyles and Tyler Ulis showed flashes of excellence despite not being overly productive. Although Kansas was crushed, big man Cliff Alexander led the team with eight rebounds (including five offensive) and was the lone bright spot in the second half. Even Michigan State freshman point guard Lourawls ‘Tum Tum’ Nairn – not a McDonald’s All-American, mind you – exhibited impressive quickness and assertiveness when he was on the floor. The constant overhyping of incoming high schoolers often sets the stage for disappointment — especially early in the season — but that was not the case on Tuesday. The young guys played well.
Indianapolis & Bankers Life Fieldhouse as host: A+
Bankers Life Fieldhouse and the city of Indianapolis should remain in the event’s rotation. (visitindy.com)
Like two of the past three venues to host this event – Madison Square Garden and the United Center – Bankers Life Fieldhouse gets at least a B by virtue of being an actual basketball arena. We should all be thankful these games were held on the Pacers’ home court instead of the Colts’ home field, Lucas Oil Stadium. Likewise, Indianapolis sits in the heart of basketball country, is a very walkable town and was close enough to a couple of these schools that the arena had no trouble filling up with boisterous fans. Of course, the fact that Lexington, Kentucky, is just a three-hour drive away helped – Wildcats fans were everywhere – but it’s nice to see college basketball roaring with excitement and relevance in mid-November. Indy should remain in the rotation going forward.
Star Power: B
Some people have argued that there is no ‘star power’ in college basketball this season, that the game is devoid of true household names and will suffer from an interest standpoint as a result. They might be able to point to Tuesday night as an example – however good some of the players were, none possesses the early-season stardom of Jabari Parker or Andrew Wiggins – but that doesn’t mean the Champions Classic was without celebrity. Jahlil Okafor will most certainly be a household name by season’s end, if he isn’t already, and Cliff Alexander, Karl-Anthony Towns, Tyus Jones, etc., will all be considered among the nation’s elite going forward. But forget the players for a moment – college basketball has always thrived on the status and recognizability of its most prominent coaches, and by pitting Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan State against each other, the Champions Classic has struck gold. There are few coaches more legendary, more interesting, more popular than Mike Kryzewski, John Calipari, Tom Izzo and Bill Self, so judging it by that metric, I’d say there was plenty of star power in the building.