The Opening Tip
- The fourth-ranked Duke men’s basketball team opens the program’s 114th season with a marquee showdown versus second-ranked Kentucky in the State Farm Champions Classic.
- The Blue Devils and Wildcats are each 4-3 in the seven previous Champions Classics, while Kansas and Michigan State are each 3-4.
- A match-up between two of the four winningest programs in NCAA history, Duke and Kentucky have met 21 times. The Blue Devils have won seven of the last nine meetings.
- These two programs lead college basketball in number of former players on 2018 opening-day NBA rosters -- the Blue Devils had 25, while the Wildcats had 31.