Duke Comes Back to Edge Kansas; March Madness Title Odds Stay at +1000

• #4 Duke beat #3 Kansas, 68-66, in Tuesday’s season opener
• The Blue Devils trailed by as many as nine in the second half
• Sportsbooks aren’t overreacting to one encouraging game from Tre Jones and company

It wasn’t pretty, but then again, season openers rarely are. Duke and Kansas combined to shoot just over 40 percent from the field on Tuesday night in a back-and-forth game that Duke eked out, 68-66.

March is a long way away, but this win over a fellow blue-blood program is sure to be featured prominently on Duke’s tournament resume. The gutty win did nothing to improve Duke’s 2020 NCAA Men’s Tournament championship odds, though, which stand pat at +1000.

Odds taken Nov. 6

Clearly, oddsmakers aren’t overreacting to one game. So what can be gleaned from this marquee matchup?

Coming Out Party For Duke’s Young Guns

Duke’s incoming freshman class was rated third in the country by 247Sports, largely due to Vernon Carey (No. 6 overall recruit) and Matthew Hurt (No. 12).

Both freshmen had an impact in their college debuts: Carey posted 11 points, six rebounds, two blocks and a steal, while Hurt had 11 points and two rebounds. Another freshman, Cassius Stanley (No. 37), had 13 points on a night that included a couple thunderous dunks.

Thread the needle, drop the hammer

? @Tre3Jones
? @cassius_stanley

?????? #SCtop10 #CleanContent ? pic.twitter.com/gvefXVanGI

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) November 6, 2019

The Blue Devils are notorious for their high roster turnover, due to players leaving each year for the NBA. So a strong first impression for some of the youngsters is a great sign.

Did I Mention It Wasn’t Pretty?

New players and newly-formed teams take time to gel. That’s obvious, right? It was certainly obvious on Tuesday, as Duke and Kansas combined for 44 turnovers.

Duke forced Kansas into 28 turnovers:

–Most turnovers forced by Duke since 28 vs. GT (1/14/09)

–2nd-most forced by Duke all-time against a ranked opponent (29 vs. No. 23 Maryland, 1/11/06)

–Most forced by Duke against a top-five team (25 vs. No. 2 Kentucky, 11/17/79).

— #DukeMBBStats (@DukeMBBStats) November 6, 2019

That’s a staggering number, and it can only be partially credited to defensive prowess. There were 22 steals in the game, which means many of the turnovers were caused simply by miscues and miscommunication. Those things will be tightened up, for both teams, as the season progresses.

Oh, and Kansas was without graduate transfer Isaiah Moss, who averaged 10.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists over his past two seasons at Iowa.

Isaiah Moss has officially committed to Kansas! Now we get start saying #GetMossed ?? pic.twitter.com/wVjGFMy6Je

— Bill Self Burner Account (@BillSelfBurner) June 10, 2019

They’ve Been There Before — And They’ll Be There Again

This win won’t be the reason the Blue Devils are playing in March. As for the Jayhawks, this loss won’t keep them out. These powerhouse programs have missed the NCAA Tournament just once each since 1983-84.

They play in traditionally tough conferences (the ACC for Duke; the Big 12 for Kansas), which gives them ample opportunity to collect impressive wins and boast about a highly-ranked strength of schedule.

Top plays from the Champions Classic ??✊?? pic.twitter.com/76f7JMt3oj

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) November 6, 2019

Duke’s schedule has several currently-ranked opponents, including Michigan State, Louisville, Virginia and North Carolina.

Kansas’s slate of ranked opponents features Texas Tech (last year’s runner-up), Villanova and Baylor.

Decision Time

One game really doesn’t mean much in a long college basketball season. Duke’s win over a quality opponent is nice, but both of these teams — as well as the rest of the college basketball landscape — will look much different in the spring.

“?????????”
–@cassius_stanley pic.twitter.com/qsWGD9eFx2

— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) November 6, 2019

Of course, if you already wanted to pick Duke (+1000) as your team to win it all, nothing has changed. The Blue Devils project to be in the hunt for the national championship, as they seemingly always are.