The No. 1 & 2 all-time winningest teams in men’s college basketball met for an eventual all-time classic in Chicago on Tuesday night.

Just after Rece Davis and crew released the updated College Football Playoff rankings on ESPN, fans who stayed tuned in were blessed to witness a 40-minute battle between Kentucky and Kansas in the second game of the 2023 State Farm Champions Classic.

Kentucky entered the night with 2,377 wins, Kansas with 2,372, giving a five-game margin to the Wildcats. 40 minutes later, that margin shrunk to four.

Final score: Kansas 89, Kentucky 84

What. A. Game.

The Jayhawks were ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 thanks to the addition of Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson and the returns of three starters from last seasons No. 1 seeded team. Those four players accounted for 78 of Kansas’ 89 points on Tuesday. Dickinson led all scorers with 27 points and all rebounders with 21 boards. It was the first 20 & 20 game in Champions Classic history. Just a stellar game from the preseason All-American.

Veteran wing Kevin McCullar Jr. had a triple double – the third in Kansas history – logging 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Lastly, Dajuan Harris Jr. had one of his best offensive games ever, shooting 5-6 from 3-point range on his way to 23 points while also getting seven assists.

The Wildcats lost all starters except Antonio Reeves from last year’s team that got a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but bring in the best recruiting class in the nation and West Virginia transfer Tre Mitchell. Reeves led Kentucky with 24 points, and Mitchell was huge on the defensive end at times. Adou Thiero, another returnee from last year’s squad, was huge in this game scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, six of which were on offense. He was all over the place for Kentucky providing big play after big play. His importance in Kentucky’s fight on Tuesday cannot go understated.

When it comes to the Wildcat freshmen, the story did not unfold like everyone thought it would. Four out of five of Kentucky’s top 80 freshmen played in this game (5-star Aaron Bradshaw was out with injury). They were 5-stars DJ Wagner and Justin Edwards, and 4-stars Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard. Wagner and Edwards combined for five points, shooting 1-18 from the field. Dillingham and Sheppard? 31 points total, shooting 10-17 from the field. The biggest key here is the two 4-stars played 16 minutes each, while the 5-stars had 25 and 29 minutes respectively. Just think if those numbers were switched – or maybe just closer – how this game might have turned out.

This was a game of runs. This was a game of lead changes. And this was a game of momentum. It was thrilling and insanely entertaining. Every player that logged a minute played an important role it seemed like. An excerpt could be written for all of them, but that would be a little excessive. However, some deserve one, so let us go over a few.

Hunter Dickinson – Kansas

As mentioned, Dickinson logged a 20 and 20 game. In the Champions Classic. What? Granted, Kentucky didn’t have any of its three seven-footers available – Bradshaw with injury, Ugonna Onyenso with injury and Zvonimir Ivisic is waiting on NCAA elibility – so it was easier for Dickinson to dominate than it otherwise would have been. However, the way he dominated cant go understated. It felt like the 7’2 big man was all over the place on offense. He got to the line 11 times, grabbed six offensive rebounds and shot 66% from the field. Defensively he got three steals and a whopping 15 defensive rebounds. Dominant is the only word.

“Coach had a lot of trust in me, that’s why he brought me here is to try and dominate the game,” Dickinson said postgame. “This is Kansas Basketball… This feels like a new home for me.” Saying it all with a smirk on his face, adding onto the mean mugs, flexes and questionable gripes to the referees during the game, Dickinson is making himself the top candidate – if not already nominated – for college basketball’s villain for 2023-24.

Rob Dillingham – Kentucky

This guy is the most entertaining player to come to Lexington since the duo of Tyrese Maxey and Immanuel Quickly torched SEC foes in the 2019-20 season. Dillingham is such a unique player on offense, because he is so small compared to everyone else, yet he doesn’t let it affect him. His incredible speed with or without the ball allows him to blow by defenders, his crafty handles let him create shots, and his shooting allows him to sometimes make four 3-pointers in a row, which he did in the first half. Sometimes he can be a little sloppy, evident by a late airballed shot attempt to help Kentucky. However, when a guy like him is hot, you don’t force him to cool off on the bench. That is, unfortunately for the BBN, what Calipari did with Dillingham on Tuesday night.

With 7:12 left in the first half, Dillingham would go onto score four straight 3-pointers, and assist on a fifth straight to Reeves. Self called a much needed timeout with 4:37 left. Coming out of the timeout, Dillingham on the bench. Why? Who knows. What is known is UK went on a 15-5 run in that stretch with the five straight 3-pointers. But in that final 4:37, Kentucky only beat Kansas by one point scoring 12 points to the Jayhawks 11. For future reference Cal, only take Dillingham out when he makes bad plays, not when he accounts for five straight 3-pointers.

Dajuan Harris Jr. – Kansas

College basketball diehards know that Harris is one of the best guards in the country, and he cemented it into fact with his performance on Tuesday night. Just incase there were still any doubters out there: Harris scored 23 points and got 7 assists while flying around the court playmaking to perfection. It is hard to find a better playmaker than Harris with the way he effortlessly gets into the lane and can kick it out for an open 3-pointer, lob it up to Dickinson or KJ Adams Jr., or take a shot himself if he thinks it is best. His decision making is ridiculously good.

Dickinson had high praise for his teammate after the game saying, “I have the best point guard in the country.” That might not be true to anyone other than the Kansas basketball team, but if he can continue to be an offensive threat scoring wise for the Jayhawks… watch out, America.

Reed Sheppard – Kentucky

This guy does it all. A legacy member of Kentucky, Sheppard is following in the footsteps of his father Jeff in dawning the blue and white jerseys of Kentucky. 13 points and four steals in 16 minutes makes for a good game, especially going up against a veteran No. 1 team. Scrappy and not afraid seems to be the motto of Sheppard. He will try (and likely succeed) to make the big play on defense so it can lead to easy offense for the Cats. He will get into the lane and put his shoulder into the opposing big man if it means someone will come help and he can dish out to an open shooter. Reed Sheppard makes winning plays, plain and simple. He is a key for this Kentucky team this year.

Sheppard might never play the most minutes or become a consistent starter, but when he is in the game he will do whatever he can to help UK. Similar to Dillingham being pulled out of the game at the wrong time a lot, Sheppard dealt with the same issue. Other than Reeves, they were Kentucky’s best players. Hopefully Calipari can learn to keep the right guys in when others aren’t performing so well.

Takeaways

If you are a Kansas fan, the takeaways are Dickinson is the All-American type player he was supposed to be, Harris is the perfect leader for this team, and the guys around those two play their roles to perfection. Bill Self has a silky smooth roster this season and there is a reason why they are the No. 1 team in the country.

If you are a Kentucky fan, the takeaways are just as positive. Reeves continues to be the veteran scorer you need, Dillingham and Sheppard make plays and are better than their recruiting ranking, and you were without your three seven-footers yet still up 14 at one point against the No. 1 team in the country. Get just one of those towering players back, plus let Wagner and Edwards figure out their woes, and this team has an extremely high ceiling. There is nothing to be ashamed of if you are a member of Big Blue Nation. If you want to have gripes with Calipari’s lineup choices, go ahead because you are right. But we can all agree this loss is not on the eight guys that suited up in the blue and white.

College basketball needs these two teams to meet up again in March. Whether it will happen is another matter, but there is no denying this was one of the best, if not the best game of the season. It could very well hold onto that title for the entire season, but a rematch could be even better. These teams have the talent, the firepower and the coaching to reach the national championship. If they do, it will be the third title matchup between Calipari and Self. Series is tied 1-1. The entire nation should wish for a tiebreaker come April 8, 2024.

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• Source: https://thegamehaus.com/college-basketball/champions-classic-recap-kansas-vs-kentucky/2023/11/15/