College basketball takes over the Windy City on Tuesday, with the State Farm Champions Classic getting top billing on ESPN.
The doubleheader features a nightcap between No. 24 Kentucky and No. 15 Kansas, our first chance to see the two powerhouse schools in action against equal competition.
The Jayhawks enter the game as the favorites with the spread sitting at -4.5 at DraftKings, and the Over/Under hovering around 158.5 points.
Kentucky vs. Kansas prediction
Kansas got some unfortunate injury news this week that is sure to impact Tuesday’s game.
Guard Melvin Council Jr. broke a bone in his foot, which will require surgery.
Kansas head coach Bill Self thinks Council could be back by January, but he won’t suit up against the Wildcats.
That injury will give top NBA prospect Tyran Stokes and opportunity to step into a bigger role pretty quickly.
Stokes hasn’t had a breakout moment yet in his two games played this season, but that also hard to come by early in the season when you’re playing Fordham and Middle Tennessee.
But we saw his potential on full display against Duke in an exhibition game last month, when he scored 27 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out seven assists.
Stokes has a massive frame standing 6-foot-8 and he can get into the lane and score well for a freshman. With his ability to draw contact in the paint, his should be able to generate enough free throws to bolster his scoring.
Without their main ballhandler, the Jayhawks will need Stokes to run offense and I’m sure he’s looking to showcase his full game with all the eyes on him.
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He hasn’t taken more than seven attempts in the first two games, but I expect that number to go up Tuesday.
I’m targeting his points and assist combo prop, as I suspect he’ll be on the ball a ton.
The Play: Tyran Stokes 17+ Points + Assists (-135, DraftKings)
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Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a particular focus on the NBA and combat sports. He spends his weeknights in the winter looking for edges on plus-money NBA player props.
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