#24 Kansas vs. #5 Duke Picks and Predictions: Champions Classic at MSG

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Bill Self has nearly an 80% winning rate as the head coach of Kansas - Kansas Duke Picks

The Duke Blue Devils and Kansas Jayhawks meet once again in the Champions Classic, this year playing the later game in Madison Square Garden. Bill Self and his No. 24 ranked Jayhawks will be missing one of their guys tonight, which certainly puts a damper on things as they face the No. 5 ranked Blue Devils. Will Duke get the job done at MSG? Or can the Jayhawks extend their five year winning streak in the Champions Classic? Let’s find out with out favorite picks.

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#24 Kansas Jayhawks vs. #5 Duke Blue Devils NCAA Basketball Insights

Flory Bidunga has to lead a very young Kansas team tonight against Duke - Kansas Duke Picks

Flory Bidunga has to lead a very young Kansas team tonight against Duke

First let’s look at the history of these two going head to head in the Champions Classic, which has been around since 2011.

Kansas vs. Duke Head to Head Champions Classic History

  • 2013: Kansas Wins 94-83 at United Center
  • 2016: Kansas Wins 77-75 at Madison Square Garden
  • 2019: Duke Wins 68-66 at Madison Square Garden
  • 2022: Kansas Wins 69-64 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse

The Jayhawks hold the all time record in the Champions Classic against the Blue Devils, but they’ve split each meeting in Madison Square Garden. However, Kansas will be without their stud freshman, Darryn Peterson, who is nursing a hamstring injury. This severely brings down the Jayhawks on both sides of the basketball, and it will be tough for them to recover. Plus, we already saw them struggle against North Carolina, perhaps they do so again facing another formidable opponent.

As for Duke, they’ve been perfect so far, handling business in every game, holding their opponents to 58.8 points per contest. Cameron Boozer leads the Blue Devils in points, rebounds, assists, and blocks, averaging 22.5 points, 10.3 boards and 4.3 assists, not to mention his 1.8 steals and blocks per game. He’s shooting 55% from the field and 36.8% from deep, while Duke’s entire team is draining nearly 40% of their shots from downtown. Will they be able to keep it up against Bill Self’s squad?

Matchup Information – Kansas vs. Duke – November 18

  • Venue & Location: Madison Square Garden (New York, NY)
  • Date: Tuesday, November 18, 2025
  • Kick Off: 9:00 p.m. Eastern
  • Broadcast: ESPN

Kansas vs. Duke Betting Odds

Odds are courtesy of BetOnline, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of November 18, 2025 at 2:44 p.m. eastern. Sign up today with Promo Code BNBOL55 for a 55% deposit bonus. BetOnline offers a wide variety of unique markets across nearly every sport imaginable.

Spread

  • Kansas +11 (-116)
  • Duke -11 (-104)

Moneyline

  • Kansas +461
  • Duke -625

Total

  • Over 148 (-110)
  • Under 148 (-110)

Now, the Jayhawks are the all time leaders in this four team competition with a 9-5 record, followed by the Blue Devils who are right behind them at 8-6 over the 14 year contest. Kentucky is 6-8 while the Spartans are just 5-9. Kansas has won in five straight years and eight of the last nine as well, but missing Peterson is huge, and this spread has shot up in the Blue Devils’ favor.

#24 Kansas vs. #5 Duke NCAA Basketball Picks and Predictions

Cameron Boozer is making a strong case to be the No. 1 overall draft pick next summer - Kansas Duke Picks

Cameron Boozer is making a strong case to be the No. 1 overall draft pick next summer

Kansas vs. Duke Prediction: Duke Wins and Covers, Over 148

Best Bet: Duke Team Total Over 81.5 (-115) BetOnline

I got over 79.5 before this bumped up a couple points, but I don’t mind it at 81.5. They’ve dominated their cupcake games since covering the spread against Texas, and they have insane offensive numbers so far. Duke is top 50 in nearly all offensive categories, plus they shoot a ton of threes but do so well. The Blue Devils’ offense consists of over 47% of their shots being from beyond the arc (Top 21 in 3P Rate), knocking down over 37.7% of them (Top 10 in 3P%). The defense is great as well.

Kansas ranks No. 122 in pace, meaning they will want to speed this game up, giving the Blue Devils tons of opportunity to get over this number. Now, I was staring down the barrel of Duke -7.5 yesterday as soon as it dropped, and I am kicking myself for not taking that instead, as it has clearly steamed up to 11 or even 11.5. I still think the Blue Devils cover this number, but we should see an uptempo game with plenty of scoring.

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