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SEC Basketball: Duke and Kentucky Clash in Champions Classic Tuesday Night

By Andrew Schutte

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Nov 13, 2015; Lexington, KY, USA; Albany Great Danes guard Peter Hooley (12) dribbles the ball against Kentucky Wildcats guard Tyler Ulis (3) in the second half of the game at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

X-factors

Duke: Grayson Allen is going to be the Blue Devils’ go-to guy all year long. The 6-foot-4 sophomore guard opened up the season with 26 and 28-point games against Siena and Bryant, respectively. Sure, the competition is nowhere near the caliber of Kentucky, but Allen will still be a difference-maker. He and Brandon Ingram are going to be the key playmakers for Coach K throughout the 2015-16 season. In those first two games, Ingram combined for 36 points.  Both Ingram and Allen can score at alarmingly high rates.

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    • It should be fun to see how they match up with Kentucky’s Jamal Murray and Derek Willis — and everyone else in that loaded roster.

    Kentucky: The Wildcats need Labissiere to have a huge impact. He doesn’t necessarily need to strive to be the team’s leading scorer (although that wouldn’t hurt, either), but he does need to take up space.  His ability to take up space will be especially relevant tonight, with Duke’s Marshall Plumlee (7-feet, 255 pounds) being his match-up. If Labissiere can successfully occupy the paint and allow Murray, Isaiah Briscoe and Marcus Lee to penetrate, the Wildcats should get some easy buckets and putback opportunities.

    Briscoe, specifically, will need to elevate his play as he missed the first game against Albany. If he can add some instant points off the bench, it could be the deciding factor.

    Next: Prediction

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