The Champions Classic serves as the unofficial start to the college basketball season. It's also an early introduction for fans and even some NBA executives to the latest batch of McDonald's All-Americans competing at college basketball's most prestigious blue blood programs.
Every NBA team was on hand at the two games in Chicago, many with high-level decision-makers looking to get a head start on their 2024 draft scouting.
Zion Williamson catapulted himself into the national consciousness and became the runaway favorite for the No. 1 pick in 2019 with his exhilarating 28-point in 23-minute performance in Duke's 2018 blowout win over Kentucky, joining the likes of Tyrese Maxey, Paolo Banchero, Grayson Allen and others in utilizing the significant platform the event offers to put their stamp on college basketball.
While the high level of competition and pressure-packed environment produces a strong early data point, it's ultimately a long season and NBA teams will be judging a player's full body of work from high school and college in assessing how to evaluate prospects come June.
Here's what we learned on Tuesday night.
Kyle Filipowski | 7-0 | PF | Age: 20.0 | Duke | No. 12 in ESPN Top 100
Filipowski didn't have a perfect night -- missing all four of his 3-point attempts and having some inconsistent moments defensively and on the glass -- but he did show his versatile offensive skill-set and seamless fit in modern basketball.
Whether it was pushing off the defensive glass, throwing beautiful passes out of the post, scoring out of pick-and-rolls and with his back to the basket or rising up skillfully for jump-shots from the baseline, Filipowski's entire arsenal was on full display. He looked confident stepping into open 3-pointers (he went 3-for-5 against Arizona on Nov. 10) even if he couldn't get them to fall. He also had some good moments defensively, rotating for blocks and sliding his feet on the perimeter one-on-one. He's still finding consistency in all facets -- his lack of length was evident at times as a rebounder in traffic and as a rim-protector -- but it was easy to see why he's a projected lottery pick.
There are some things to nitpick perhaps but 7-footers who can handle, pass and shoot and have instincts, competitiveness and feel on both ends of the floor are difficult to come by. A productive season leading Duke on a deep tournament run could easily earn him a spot in the top-10.
Rob Dillingham | 6-2 | PG | Age: 18.8 | Kentucky | No. 26 in ESPN Top100
Dillingham had an electric first-half stretch demonstrating the full extent of his significant talent -- hitting a barrage of 3-pointers and showing his creativity taking the paint to dish off to teammates while rejecting screens and finishing with touch shots in the lane. He's one of the fastest, most dynamic ball handlers in the college game at changing gears and exploding in the open court.
He also showed why he might not be fit for some NBA teams with his lack of size, length and frame -- measuring just 6-1½ in shoes, 176 pounds with a 6-2 wingspan -- the type of dimensions that are hard to find from an NBA point guard. Dillingham's wild decision-making, poor defense and struggles as a finisher were also evident at-times against Kansas, contributing to him playing just 16 minutes and fouling out in the final minute.
Continuing to find consistency from beyond the arc will help Dillingham's cause -- he's a career 33% 3-point shooter in 77 games according to our database. Making strides defensively as the season moves on will be important as well. He gambles incessantly in passing lanes and struggles to navigate screens, which helped Kansas point guard DaJuan Harris Jr. score a career-high 23 points.
The margin for error for players like Dillingham has never been smaller -- no players under 6-foot-2 were drafted last year, and only one such player was picked in 2022. Dillingham will have to prove truly exceptional to buck that trend. He's talented enough to do it, but there are questions about whether he'll have the platform to work through mistakes on a team with D.J. Wagner and Reed Sheppard, who handled the bulk of the second-half playmaking duties Tuesday night.
Kevin McCullar Jr. | 6-7 | SG/SF | Age: 22.6 | Kansas | No. 29 in ESPN Top 100
McCullar had a dominant performance, despite shooting just 3-for-11 from the field. He finished with a triple-double (12 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) while playing exceptional defense within Kansas' switching scheme, where he spent time guarding everyone from point guard to centers.
He's tasked with considerable playmaking responsibility this season and made excellent decisions (just one turnover) spreading the ball all over the floor in the half court and transition. He's Kansas' designated post-entry passer and an intelligent pick-and-roll distributor, attacking the rim aggressively (nine free throw attempts) and playing with impressive confidence and poise.
Coming into this game shooting 5-for-12 from beyond the arc in Kansas' first two games, McCullar didn't run away from open looks against Kentucky (0-for-3 from 3), but has a lot to prove in this area after converting just 30% of his 3-pointers in his first four years in college.
It appears McCullar will have a significant platform to show decision-makers he can play a Terance Mann-type role in the NBA with the outstanding combination he brings of defensive versatility, toughness and smarts, This is something every NBA team is looking for on the wing, provided he can offer adequate floor-spacing.
Caleb Foster | 6-4 | PG/SG | Age: 19.3 | Duke | No. 43 in ESPN Top 100
Foster gave Duke a huge lift off the bench, hitting pull-up jumpers inside and outside the arc and a bevy of spot-3s to finish with 16 second-half points on seven field goal attempts. With Michigan State doubling the post and hard-showing in pick-and-roll, Foster's shot-making, scoring instincts and confidence played a major role in his team's win.
Duke plan to start three combo guards and task their 7-foot center Filipowski with significant offensive responsibility, meaning Foster likely won't see as many playmaking reps as he did at lower-levels of competition so it's important for him to capitalize on opportunities like this. He's tallied just one assist in three games thus far, while struggling at times defensively. It remains to be seen if he'll have a big enough platform to emerge as a sure-fire one-and-done first-round pick, or if he'll be better suited returning for his sophomore year where the backcourt situation should clear up, something we'll learn more about as the year moves on.
Tyrese Proctor | 6-5 | PG | Age: 19.6 | Duke | No. 13 in ESPN Top 100
Proctor had a strong line (13 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 0 turnovers), playing much better than he did in a loss against Arizona on Nov. 10. His size, shot-making, excellent feel for the game, competitiveness and unselfishness gives him a high floor as a prospect, but he still has some things to prove moving forward. Proctor has lacked a degree of aggressiveness attacking the rim, moving the defense and seeking out contact thus far this season, not always looking as decisive as you might hope in looking to put his imprint on games. NBA teams want to get a better sense for how he scores on nights his jumper isn't falling. He played with better physicality against Michigan State than he did in the game with Arizona, but he still has some questions to answer in that area with his thin frame. Significant tests ahead will tell us a lot more about where Proctor stacks up in this class ultimately.
Mark Mitchell | 6-8 | PF | Age: 20.2 | Duke | No. 45 in ESPN Top 100
Mitchell has yet to hit a 3-pointer this season, and the way teams are sagging off him on the perimeter and forcing teammates to play 4-on-5 has made things difficult for the Duke offense at times. Mitchell still finds ways to be productive -- attacking the rim relentlessly, drawing fouls, finishing through contact and using his length, strength and toughness defensively. His just average feel for the game shows up on both ends of the floor and the glass, where he doesn't always make an impact. There's little doubt about his ability to be a highly productive college player at 6-8, but it's tough to envision a prominent role for Mitchell in the NBA if he can't figure out a way to score from the perimeter. His stiff and flat shooting stroke is something he'll have to work hard on to make progress in that area.
D.J. Wagner | 6-3 | PG | Age: 18.5 | Kentucky | No. 14 in ESPN Top 100
Shooting 1-for-12 from the floor with just one assist in 25 minutes, there weren't many positives to take away from Wagner's Champions Classic. He was already viewed as somewhat of a polarizing prospect among scouts prior to this performance, where he struggled to generate good offense, couldn't get pull-up jumpers to fall, missed several good looks at the rim and had some difficult moments navigating screens. He also broke his team's defense at times gambling for steals. Wagner's slick ballhandling, quickness and overall scoring instincts will surely help him rebound from this lackluster performance, which will be key for both him and the Wildcats to accomplish their goals this season.
Justin Edwards | 6-7 | SF | Age: 19.9 | Kentucky | No. 5 in ESPN Top 100
Edwards had a poor offensive outing, scoring just one point on 0-for-6 shooting with two assists and two turnovers. He's struggling to make shots this season thus far (2-for-11 from 3), and has had a difficult time playing through contact and making good decisions with the ball -- looking rushed and not entirely prepared for the speed of the college game. To Edwards' credit, he had some good moments fighting over screens, rotating for blocks and flying out to the perimeter with high-handed contests. Like all of Kentucky's freshmen, he didn't do a great job of getting back on defense. He'll need to find a greater deal of urgency and alertness to put his imprint on games on nights like this when his shot isn't falling.
Hunter Dickinson | 7-1 | C | Age: 22.9 | Kansas | Unranked in ESPN Top 100
Dickinson had the best performance of his college career, amassing 27 points (8-for-12 FG, 10-for-11 FT), 21 rebounds and three steals in the win. With three Kentucky centers in sweatsuits on the sidelines due to injuries and eligibility reasons, the Wildcats had no answers for the skilled 7-1, 260-pounder inside the paint.
Coach Bill Self changed the complexion of the game by electing to have Dickinson defend Kentucky's undersized, non-shooting power forward Adou Thiero, rather than match up with center Tre Mitchell. That allowed Dickinson to sag off Thiero (and non-shooting Jordan Burks) and clog up the paint for Kentucky all game long -- as well as not be involved in any pick and roll action, which is Dickinson's Achilles heel due to his lack of footspeed. Dickinson was able to expend maximum energy crashing the glass, post up ferociously and catch lobs out of pick-and-roll. He even knocked down an above the break 3 at the halftime buzzer to cut Kentucky's lead to seven.
It's not clear what this means for Dickinson's NBA outlook, if anything. NBA teams didn't get any evidence to alleviate their concerns about his struggles covering ground in space, as that type of defensive strategy Self employed isn't as effective in the NBA with the defensive three-second rule and scarcity of non-skilled big men in Thierro's mold. Coming off back-to-back All-American seasons at Michigan, there's little doubting Dickinson's productivity at the college level. Finding ways to improve defensively is the easiest way for Dickinson to improve his NBA outlook, something he'll have plenty of chances to do all season long against the likes of UConn and Indiana in non-conference play and then in the highly competitive Big 12.