CHICAGO -- Tre White scored a career-high 30 points while leading No. 15 Kansas to a dominant 89-69 win over No. 24 Kentucky in the Champions Classic on Tuesday night. The Jayhawks used a 22-0 edge in points off turnovers combined with a 12-8 advantage in offensive rebounds to create +12 shot differential.
Of Kansas' 69 shots, 35 went to White or freshman phenom Tyran Stokes, who added 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Offense came easy for the Jayhawks, who finished with 24 assists. Little came easy for Kentucky, which didn't get a 3-point make from high-dollar marksman Milan Momcilovic until the 6:53 mark of the second half. By then, UK's fate had long been sealed. The Wildcats never drew within single digits in the second half.
Kansas big Trey Kaufman-Renn scored four straight at the end of the first half to push Kansas' lead to 46-36. The Jayhawks never looked back as they extended their winning streak in the series with Kentucky to three games. White caught fire in the second half with 23 of his points coming after the break as he hit 8-of-9 shots from the floor in the second half.
Zoom Diallo led Kentucky with 24 points while Malachi Moreno added 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
When the top-rated freshman makes jumpers, Stokes is almost unstoppable. It's early in the cycle, but Stokes looks like a tier above the rest in the early 2027 NBA Draft discourse. The 6-foot-8 bullyball wing was phenomenal, totaling 23 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Kentucky had absolutely no answer for the big dawg.
Giving Kansas coach Bill Self a hub like Trey Kaufman-Renn is a cheat code. Who knows how long TKR will be eligible, but fun will be had in the meantime. His playmaking just pops, in person. Kaufman-Renn dished six assists to go along with 12 points and six grown-man rebounds in 24 minutes.
Not only did Kentucky look disjointed and overmatched, it also looked timid and disinterested relative to the free-flowing and well-connected Jayhawks. The bench lacked energy, and it was hard not to consider the "what if" factor of Tyran Stokes. Kentucky heavily pursued Kansas' freshman phenom, who is a Louisville native. They lost that recruiting battle and lost out on a great player who brought strong vibes to the matchup. Stokes played with an obvious intensity and joy that was clearly missing from the Kentucky side. This wasn't as bad as bad as Kentucky's 94-59 neutral-site loss to Gonzaga last season. But it should be a wakeup call. Early in a critical third season for coach Mark Pope, UK has a lot to figure out.
Starting center Malachi Moreno logged just seven minutes in the first half for Kentucky after picking up two fouls in the first 3:23. Without their offensive hub of a center on the floor, the Wildcats looked totally disjointed. That resulted in nine first half turnovers. Without Moreno on the floor, Kentucky also struggled to rebound, which was evidenced in an 11-3 deficit in second-chance points at halftime. Even with Moreno on the floor more in the second half, Pope's offense never created clean looks for 3-point shooters. Milan Momcilovic's MIA performance was particularly problematic. The Iowa State transfer was the best 3-point shooter in college basketball last season, and the Wildcats could not get him quality looks. He didn't even attempt a 3-pointer until the 10:34 mark of the second half and finished with just five points on 2-of-7 shooting.
Tre White scored a career-high 30 points while leading No. 15 Kansas to a dominant 89-69 win over No. 24 Kentucky in the Champions Classic on Tuesday night. The Jayhawks used a 22-0 edge in points off turnovers combined with a 12-8 advantage in offensive rebounds to create +12 shot differential.
Of Kansas' 69 shots, 35 went to White or freshman phenom Tyran Stokes, who added 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Offense came easy for the Jayhawks, who finished with 24 assists. Little came easy for Kentucky, which didn't get a 3-point make from high-dollar marksman Milan Momcilovic until the 6:53 mark of the second half. By then, UK's fate had long been sealed. The Wildcats never drew within single digits in the second half.
Kansas big Trey Kaufman-Renn scored four straight at the end of the first half to push Kansas' lead to 46-36. The Jayhawks never looked back as they extended their winning streak in the series with Kentucky to three games. White caught fire in the second half with 23 of his points coming after the break as he hit 8-of-9 shots from the floor in the second half.
Zoom Diallo led Kentucky with 24 points while Malachi Moreno added 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
Seven Kansas players have combined for 22 assists, led by Taylen Kinney with seven and Trey Kaufman-Renn with six. The Jayhawks are seeing the floor well and hitting teammates in stride. It's been a passing masterclass from a team operating without injured point guard Melvin Council Jr.
There has never been a moment in this second half where it felt like Kentucky had the ability or the "want to" to get back into this game. The Wildcats have looked resigned to defeat since the final minute of the first half. There is no coherent offense and no lockdown defender to disrupt Kansas on the other end. This team is woefully uninspired tonight.
Kansas is up to an 18-0 edge in points off turnovers, and fifth-year forward Tre White is feeling it. He's got 10 points in the second half, including a nice step-back 3-pointer over Zoom Diallo. Kansas' lead has reached 22 points as Kentucky continues to struggle for quality looks. Milan Momocilovic is just 1 for 6 with 2 points.
Kentucky's turnover woes have only gotten worse early in the second half. Tyran Stokes is also proving why he deserved to be the No. 1 overall prospect. The physical forward is 4 of 7 from deep. He also brings a certain swagger that Kentucky is so obviously missing. The Wildcats have been outworked in this game.
Kentucky desperately needs to clean up its half court offense in the second half. The Wildcats coughed it up nine times in the first half and didn't get Milan Momcilovic a single 3-point look. Malachi Moreno playing just seven minutes in the first half due to foul trouble didn't help matters, but it was just an all-around ugly half on the offensive side for UK, which is just 2 for 9 from 3-point range.
Trey Kaufman-Renn scored the final four points of the first half, including a push shot just before the halftime buzzer, to help Kansas enter the break with a 10-point lead. Kentucky was killed in points off turnovers (10-0) and second-chance points (11-3) during the first half but is still within striking distance thanks to a big first half from Zoom Diallo. Tyran Stokes led Kansas with 13 points, four rebounds and two assists in the first half. The No. 1 overall prospect needed 13 shots to get there, but it was a busy first half for the former Kentucky target.
Kentucky has turned it over nine times, leading to eight Kanas points. KU's 8-0 edge in points off turnovers almost accounts for the difference in this game. KU has attempted 30 shots to Kentucky's 24. If not for a 5 for 6 start from Zoom Diallo, the Wildcats would be in even deeper trouble here. Stokes and fellow freshman Taylen Kinney have been great thus far for Kansas.
Kentucky star forward Milan Momcilovic has been mostly a non-factor early. The 3-point marksman hasn't attempted a long-range shot and is just 1 for 3 from the field. Kentucky's half-court offense hasn't looked good, and the Wildcats have just one offensive rebound. Pope did put Moreno back in the game with two fouls, which might help on the boards. Two of Kentucky's six turnovers are from illegal screens by backup center Franck Kepnang, who was forced into action by Moreno's early foul trouble.
No. 1 overall prospect Tyran Stokes just hit Christian Reeves for a layup with a nice touch pass on the secondary break as Kansas surged ahead 22-17, triggering a Kentucky timeout. Stokes has been very active early with six points, three boards and that assist. He's also got a steal. There's a little something extra tonight in this matchup after how aggressively Kentucky pursued Stokes during a recruitment process that played out into the offseason.
Kentucky starting center Malachi Moreno picked up two fouls in the first 3:23, forcing Mark Pope to go to Franck Kepnang early. Now the question is whether Pope will sit him for the rest of the half. There was also an exchange between Tyran Stokes and Ousmane N'Diaye after a scrum for a loose ball. N'Diaye got a technical and so did KU guard Taylen Kinney, who came onto the scene as N'Diaye hovered over Stokes.
Kentucky' starting guards Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins are off to a fast start. Both are 2 of 2 from the floor, and the Wildcats have made all five of their field goal attempts. Bill Self called an early timeout ahead of the first media stoppage to calm his team down. With no Melvin Council Jr., the Jayhawks don't have that natural tone-setting guard out there. Kansas big Trey Kaufman-Renn entered with 19 career made 3-pointers over four seasons, but he hit one from the left wing to get the Jayhawks on the board.
Tipoff is finally approaching a bit later than initially expected because of a late finish to Michigan State's win over Duke in Game 1 of the night.
Kansas starters: Taylen Kinney, Leroy Blyden Jr., Tre White, Tyran Stokes, Trey Kaufman-Renn
Kentucky starters: Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, Ousmane Ndiaye, Milan Momcilovic, Malachi Moreno
The Champions Classic is no longer on the first day of the season. This year, it's on the 10th day -- more specifically, Tuesday night in Chicago. Game 1 is Duke vs. Michigan State. Game 2 is Kansas vs. Kentucky. Those are the schools ranked No. 2, No. 5, No. 15 and No. 24, respectively, in Tuesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings.
The most anticipated double-header of the young college basketball season takes place tonight in Chicago as No. 2 Duke meets No. 5 Michigan State, followed by No. 15 Kansas vs. No. 24 Kentucky in the Champions Classic.
The event is also expected to draw a heavy dose of NBA scouts and decision-makers to Chicago, given the opportunity to see so many high-level prospects under one roof on one night.
One wrinkle: The best NBA prospect on the court Tuesday night won't even be eligible to be drafted in 2027. That's Duke freshman Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje who is 17 years old and won't turn 18 until next May. In order to be eligible for the NBA Draft, a player must be at least 19 years old during the calendar year of the draft, per NBA rules.
Kansas' full team had only been practicing together for only three (!) weeks. Then starting guard Melvin Council Jr. broke his foot Monday, forcing Bill Self to recalibrate again. Kansas has the more talented roster on paper, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are still some kinks to be ironed out that were not exposed in romps over solid mid-majors like Fordham and Middle Tennessee. Is Kentucky good enough to press those hot spots? Maybe. Kentucky's 3-point shooting is the path to popping the upset. Kansas does not profile as a high-volume 3-point shooting team with Trey Kaufman-Renn, Tre White, Tyran Stokes and Keanu Dawes on the floor together. On the other hand, Milan Momcilovic is the best shooter in the sport. If Kentucky can rebound and run, it is very capable of drilling double-digit treys. That's rarely going to be in the range of potential outcomes for Kansas, who will rely heavily on paint points and free throws to score efficiently.
Kansas' offensive rebounding feels inevitable, but Kentucky's shooting and length make it very live. Its up-and-down guards just need to play clean in this one, or UK is dead on arrival. The pick: Kentucky +5.5
Kansas is losing its dawg and its soul. Council is the high-energy sparkplug who is a voracious defender, an all-out competitor and one of the fastest guards in all of college basketball. Kansas will absolutely miss his speed. Self has a decision to make, whether to go big with Keanu Dawes or Christian Reeves to guard Moreno or to stay small and insert Toledo transfer Leroy Blyden Jr., who is quite fast and owns a feathery jumper. That optionality is a good thing. I also think it does just ramp up the usage rate for Stokes and Kaufman-Renn. I'd love to see Stokes and TKR get rolling in the pick-and-roll game together. Those are two giant playmakers who could put Kentucky's defense into some rough positions. They've just barely played together this year, so it's hard to imagine the Stokes-TKR, two-man game humming on all cylinders right away.
Kentucky is 29-26 against high-major teams under Pope. That is far from the standard. One common denominator has been a halfcourt offense gone awry. Self is going to do whatever it takes to keep Kentucky from getting free for its patented transition 3-pointers. If you can make this Kentucky team execute in the halfcourt, there are many more outs for Kansas' defense. But that's easier said than done. Kansas' starting lineup has barely played together this season after Kaufman-Renn's late addition to the roster. Kentucky has plenty of shooting and length surrounding a big man in Malachi Moreno who can really pass the basketball. If Kansas' defense is not connected, Kentucky has the offensive personnel to make it pay.
Recruiting drama aside, Stokes is also a real matchup problem for Kentucky in this spot. Pope does not have many good options to handle Kansas' 6-8 freshman wing, who is too big for guards and way too fast for most forwards. Sharpshooter Milan Momcilovic is in Lexington to bang 3-pointers, but Kentucky needs him to play the best defensive game of the season. Momcilovic on Stokes is a matchup Kentucky may have to live with, and it's going to be something Kansas coach Bill Self targets from the jump. If Momcilovic can't handle Stokes' bully-ball drives, Kentucky may have to try Zoom Diallo. Maybe redshirt-freshman wing Braydon Hawthorne could also be part of the solution. Hawthorne's got an enormous wingspan and has impressed defensively so far. Stokes is a problem for everybody, but especially this Kentucky roster. If Stokes goes off, Kentucky is in hot water.
