How Kentucky’s chemistry sealed a Champions Classic win over Duke
By SAM LANCE ATLANTA -- When the game
By SAM LANCE ATLANTA -- When the game
By SAM LANCE ATLANTA -- When Bill Self
By ADAM ZAGORIA Approximately 70 NBA personnel are
NEW YORK — It isn’t often that John Calipari swings and misses on an elite recruit.
But when it came to Miles Bridges, Calipari didn’t get his man.
The 6-foot-7 Michigan native considered Kentucky and Michigan State before choosing the Spartans last October after his close friend Cassius Winston also picked Michigan State.
“When he committed, then I basically switched over to Michigan State from Kentucky,” Bridges told Scout.com. “At first I thought Cassius was going to Michigan. When he went to Michigan State, it changed everything.
“I just started hanging with him when AAU started,” Bridges said about Winston. “But it feels like I’ve known Cassius for all my life. We connect like brothers.”
From his home in New Jersey, Roselle Catholic coach Dave Boff has watched every one of Kentucky’s televised practices, exhibitions and games this season in order to focus on his former star guard Isaiah Briscoe.
“I’ve seen him five or six times so far, which is crazy that I can see him that much,” Boff said with a laugh Monday morning. “Everything Kentucky’s on TV.”
Briscoe and No. 2 Kentucky (2-0) will be back on ESPN Tuesday night when they face No. 12 Michigan State (0-1) in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden. No. 1 Duke faces No. 3 Kansas in the nightcap.
Briscoe, who led Roselle Catholic to the New Jersey Tournament of Champions title in 2015, expects to have a number of family and friends in the crowd, including his father, George Briscoe, and his former AAU coach, Jimmy Salmon of the NJ Playaz.
NEW YORK — Poor Duke.
But the No. 1 Blue Devils (2-0) can still roll out a half dozen McDonald’s All-Americans for the game, which follows the matchup between No. 2 Kentucky and No. 12 Michigan State.
“I don’t know how many McDonald’s All-American’s they have on their team,” Kansas coach Bill Self said Sunday night. “They got three sitting out. They still got [Grayson] Allen, they still got [Luke] Kennard. I think Amile [Jefferson] was a McDonald’s All-American and Frank Jackson was a McDonald’s All-American. [Chase] Jeter was a McDonald’s All-American. They’re still going to have plenty of guys that are capable of playing very well.”
Don’t forget Matt Jones, coach. He was a McDonald’s All-American, too.
Tatum and Bolden were McDonald’s All-Americans in 2016, while the injured Giles was not. So all told, Duke has eight on its roster, six of whom will play against Kansas.
