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No. 1 Kentucky meets No. 5 Kansas Tuesday
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Published: 11/18/2014  at  5:27:00 AM
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KANSAS JAYHAWKS (1-0)

vs. KENTUCKY WILDCATS (2-0)

State Farm Champions Classic
Bankers Life Fieldhouse - Indianapolis, IN
Tip-off: Tuesday, 9:30 p.m. ET
Line: Kentucky -5.5

Two elite college basketball programs teams battle on Tuesday night as No. 5 Kansas takes on No. 1 Kentucky in game two of the State Farm Champions Classic in Indianapolis.

This is the fourth year that the teams have participated in the classic, with Kentucky winning the first matchup three seasons ago. The Jayhawks are 1-2 in the classic, with their victory coming last year against Duke. With Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid gone, Kansas is having to adjust to not having two of the top three picks in the 2014 NBA draft. In their opener, the Jayhawks struggled in defeating 16-point underdog UC Santa Barbara by a 69-59 score. Kansas shot only 41.5% FG on 2-of-10 threes. After a convincing 40-point win in its opener versus 30.5-point underdog Grand Canyon, Kentucky (1-1 ATS) had its hands full on Sunday against 32.5-point underdog Buffalo. The Wildcats were down five points at the half, but held the Bulls to 14 second-half points and rolled to a 71-52 victory. Both NCAA Championship-winning head coaches have negative trends for Tuesday's matchup. Kansas is only 6-16 ATS (27%) in non-home games after making 20% or less of its threes under Bill Self, while Kentucky is 5-15 ATS (25%) on the road after allowing 55 points or less under head coach John Calipari. There are no new injuries for either school.

Can Kansas knock off the top team in the nation on Tuesday? For the latest college basketball picks, check out The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks. The experts are coming off an unbelievable 2013-14 college basketball season where the five men combined for a 60% ATS record (332-225-19), including 62% ATS (56-35-3) in the NCAA Tournament. StatFox Brian led the way with a 69% ATS record (76-34-4) on this season, which included a 77% ATS run (44-13-4) from Jan. 17 to the end of the season. StatFox Dave was 74% ATS (14-5) in Best Bets for the 2014 NCAA Tournament to finish at 62% ATS for the season. StatFox Scott finished 59% ATS (65-46-5) for season Best Bets, while StatFox Gary was close behind with a 57% ATS mark (64-49-2) in college basketball Best Bets. The experts have started out the 2014-15 season with a bang, posting a 65% ATS mark (13-7) in Best Bets through Sunday. All five experts are 50% ATS or better, led by Gary's 3-0 ATS mark.

The Jayhawks struggled in the first game, mainly on the offensive end of the court with more turnovers (16) than assists (11) and the starting five making just 12-of-32 FG (37.5%). One thing Bill Self’s squad did nicely in the opener was to attack the rim, as the Jayhawks were able to get to the line 32 times, making 23 free throws (72%). The team's leading returning scorer and rebounder had a great game, as PF Perry Ellis produced a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards, with six of those rebounds coming on the offensive glass. PG Frank Mason III and SG Wayne Selden Jr. are both sophomores, who had great moments last year as freshmen, but need to shoot much better than a combined 6-of-18 FG (1-of-6 threes) to knock off the top team in the nation. Selden was bothered much of last season with knee injuries, and appears to resemble the high-flying athlete the Jayhawks recruited. The bench gave the Jayhawks a lift on Friday, as SG Devonte Graham (14 points, 4 rebounds) and SF Cliff Alexander (9 points, 4 rebounds) both were solid in the opener. The play of the Kansas bench will be huge against a Kentucky team that has shown it isn’t afraid to go deep into its bench.

Kentucky is loaded with size, and that has shown in its rebounding. The Wildcats have held a total rebounding advantage of 96 to 46 so far this season, and the lack of second-chance opportunities is a big reason why the two opponents made just 31-of-94 FG (33%). Freshman PF Trey Lyles (13.0 PPG, 67% FG, 4.0 RPG) is an explosive athlete who is willing to get out and run, and is the only Kentucky player averaging double-figure scoring through the first two contests. With the depth of this team, the Wildcats are looking to run the fast break as much as possible. C Willie Cauley-Stein (9.0 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 2.5 BPG) is the defensive force on the team, but fellow 7-foot C Dakari Johnson (9.5 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 3.0 APG) has also posted five of the Wildcats' 17 blocked shots this season. But for Kentucky to win this game comfortably, the sophomore backcourt of PG Andrew Harrison (9.5 PPG) and SG Aaron Harrison (7.5 PPG) have to shoot better than their combined 37% FG clip (2-of-11 threes) in the early going. If they are able to use their depth and get Kansas in foul trouble, the Wildcats should be in great position to get the victory.


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