The annual Champions Classic featuring Kentucky, Kansas, Duke and Michigan State is one of the preeminent early-season college hoops events featuring NBA talent from some of the top programs in the country. And this year’s Classic scheduled for Tuesday night in Atlanta should be no exception, with potential No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and a number of other first-round prospects headlining a loaded field.
This year’s Classic tips off at 6:30 p.m. ET first with No. 1-ranked Kansas drawing Michigan State in the opener. Kansas is led by national player of the year contender Hunter Dickinson and a rebuilt roster led by transfers AJ Storr and Rylan Griffen, both of whom enter new situations firmly on the radar of NBA teams to start the year.
The nightcap is slated for a 9 p.m. ET tip between No. 7 Duke and No. 23 Kentucky where all eyes will stand at attention to watch Flagg. He’s hardly the only attraction worth monitoring, though, with teammate Kon Knueppel catching eyes in the first game and Kentucky’s overhauled roster ripe with raw talent capable of making an impact in the league soon.
So for the draftniks out there: Below is my list – a cheat sheet if you will – of prospects to watch for Tuesday’s festivities. The list is not an exhaustive one of all potential NBA players and is not listed in any order, but rather is the short list of prospects I’m most intrigued by at this point in the young season. Their respective rankings in the latest CBS Sports NBA Draft Prospect Rankings are listed as well if applicable.
Prospect rank: No. 1
No one in the 2025 NBA Draft class is held in the same high regard right now as Flagg and it’d probably take something substantial to change his standing at No. 1. He’s just 17 years old and already one of the most impactful defensive talents in college hoops with shot-blocking smoothness and fluid movement that makes him a jack-of-all-trades weapon. At 6-foot-9 he has guard-like versatility with the way he can score, and he plays with anticipation and an understanding of the game that is wise beyond his years.
Prospect rank: No. 10
Knueppel led Duke in scoring in each of the first two Blue Devils’ games with 22 and 15 points and seems primed to pay off preseason expectations that he could eventually be the Robin to Flagg’s Batman. He’s a smooth operator who can shoot it at a high level and his polished skill set should allow him to continue producing at a high level as a scorer inside and outside the arc. It wouldn’t at all be surprising if he led Duke in scoring this season.
Prospect rank: No. 16
Where Evans fits in the picture for Duke this season remains a big question mark that admittedly makes it hard right now to see him becoming a potential top-20 pick like I have him now. But the former five-star recruit checks all the boxes of what NBA teams covet in combo forwards at the next level right now because of his size, length and shooting ability. As the season goes on I’d expect him to get more comfortable and confident in eventually giving Duke an off-the-bench weapon who can create and provide a two-way impact.
Prospect rank: No. 23
Duke’s already-strong defensive back line led by Flagg is anchored in part also by Maluach, a 7-2 center from South Sudan. He’s a raw talent who didn’t pick up the game until age 13 and only recently turned 18 years old, but his size and shot-blocking are building blocks for him to develop into a potential lottery pick.
Prospect rank: NR
Robinson is one of several former BYU standouts who followed coach Mark Pope to Kentucky. After a breakout 2023-24 season in which he thrust himself onto the NBA radar he’s positioned to capitalize with the ‘Cats with his ranginess and shooting.
Prospect rank: NR
Now at his third school in as many years (and seventh in seven years dating back to high school), Storr surprisingly came off the bench for the Jayhawks in their first two games. He’s on a KU team that’s deep with guard talent but his athleticism and scoring makes him an interesting one to monitor. If he breaks through on this team he could bust into NBA Draft conversations as a top-60 talent in 2025.
Prospect rank: NR
If I had to pick one KU guard with the most likely chance to play into the first round discussion it’d be Griffen. He averaged 11.2 points and shot 39.2% from 3-point range last season as a quality starter on an Alabama team that made the Final Four, and he has the requisite skill set to be a difference-maker on this Kansas team that has Hunter Dickinson and Dajuan Harris Jr. set as foundational pieces.
Prospect rank: NR
Coming off a career fourth and final year at Dayton in which he hit 49.8% from 3-point range and averaged 11.1 points per game, Brea is in a great position to build off that with Kentucky as a bench scorer who will be part of UK’s deep rotation. He was a 100th percentile scorer in catch-and-shoot situations last season at Dayton per Synergy Sports data and a 99th percentile scorer on 3-pointers.
Prospect rank: NR
Garrison jumped from a starting role at Oklahoma State to a reserve role at Kentucky backing up Amari Williams — who himself has some real appeal — but remains on my radar as a sleeper prospect. He’s a physical center who is light on his feet and has shown impressive awareness as a defender. He was asked to shoulder a big load as a freshman last season but may shine in a smaller role with UK as an analytics darling who posts a big block rate and can get to the line.
Prospect rank: NR
The name should ring familiar for two reasons. First: he’s the son of long-time NBA player Jason Richardson, who was the No. 5 pick in the 2001 NBA Draft and a two-time dunk contest winner in the NBA. Second: he was a key contributor for a Columbus High School team that prominently featured five-star Boozer twins Cam and Cayden. He’s not a projected one-and-done type talent as things stand right now but he’s a smooth lefty adept at scoring and consistently plays with a high motor. Tom Izzo is going to love his game and give him chances this season to flourish.
Others to watch: Tyrese Proctor (Duke), Caleb Foster (Duke), Sion James (Duke), Xavier Booker (Michigan State), Flory Bidunga (Kansas), Collin Chandler (Kentucky)
