2024 Champions Classic Preview
Top Programs Collide in Atlanta, But First-Round NBA Draft Talent is Sparse Beyond Duke
The 2024 Champions Classic brings together four of college basketball’s most storied programs—Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State, and Kansas—in a highly anticipated doubleheader in Atlanta. But this year’s Classic has a different feel, with Kentucky missing longtime coach John Calipari on the sidelines and shifting away from its typical freshman-heavy roster in favor of veteran experience.
This shift could lessen the game’s traditional appeal for NBA scouts, especially given the thin top-tier talent outside of Duke’s highly touted lineup. The main draw for scouts will be Duke’s Cooper Flagg, the projected number one pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, along with fellow Blue Devils Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach, both of whom are possible lottery picks.
Beyond Duke, the Champions Classic features few surefire first-round prospects, with Kansas lacking a clear-cut lottery talent despite its top ranking, and Michigan State likely to extend its drought without a first-round pick.
Kentucky has a handful of intriguing prospects, but they are mostly older and projected as second-rounders.
Still, the matchups promise excitement: Michigan State will aim to scrap its way to an upset over number one Kansas, while Duke’s elite freshman talent faces Kentucky’s fifth-oldest roster in the NCAA.