INDIANAPOLIS — Greetings from a Champions Classic that, in accordance with tradition, ended very late at night. The annual, unofficial beginning of college basketball season—which always features some combination of Duke, Kentucky, Kansas and Michigan State—was well attended by the NBA as usual, with most teams sending multiple high-level decision makers.
While blueblood programs have down years too, this event is often viewed as a litmus test for the general talent level in college basketball in a given season—you always show up hoping to see prospects and expect as much from these particular programs. But due to the advent of alternative pathways to the NBA as well as the broader trend of top players attending nontraditional college hoops powers, the Champions Classic is no longer a one-stop shop for elite prospects—at least not always. Regardless, we got an interesting pair of games, with a handful of potential first-round picks taking the court. Here are some early takeaways.
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