Meet This Year's College Basketball Stars at the Champions Classic

Come March, everyone is suddenly a college basketball aficionado. Men, women, and children who barely pay attention to the sport eagerly fill out their NCAA tournament brackets, hoping to win bragging rights and/or money in their pools.

This time of year, however, college basketball occupies a much different place in the sporting landscape. The NFL and college football dominate interest, and an intriguing NBA season is already underway.

Still, on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, college basketball fans will be treated to a doubleheader that features premier programs and players who will become household names in the next few months and years. No. 2 Kentucky faces No. 13 Michigan State in the first game of the Champions Classic, followed by No. 1 Duke against No. 7 Kansas. All four schools have highly touted freshmen who are projected to leave after one season and be selected in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft.

Since its formation in 2011, the Champions Classic has introduced the country to a number of soon-to-be college and NBA stars, including No. 1 overall draft picks Anthony Davis (Kentucky), Andrew Wiggins (Kansas), and Karl-Anthony Towns (Kentucky). Over all, 16 one-and-done lottery selections have played here in the past five years.

This freshmen class may be the deepest one yet: five of the top 30 prospects for the 2017 NBA draft, per DraftExpress and ESPN's Chad Ford, will be playing on Tuesday—and that doesn't even include Duke's three star freshmen, who has suffered an unfortunate string of injuries. Harry Giles, a 6-foot-11 forward, underwent knee surgery (his third, after two in high school) in early October; he is considered a top-five prospect and, if healthy, might be the top pick in next June's draft. Jayson Tatum also won't be playing, according to Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. The 6-foot-8 forward sustained a foot sprain at Duke's pro day in late October, and Coach K said the Blue Devils rushed him back to practice too soon. Finally, center Marques Bolden sustained a lower-leg injury last week. All three players sat out Duke's two games this weekend, and it's uncertain when any of them will return.

Even with Duke's depleted roster, it's worth tuning in to watch on Tuesday night if you want to know the next big names in basketball before the March Madness starts. You're likely going to hear a lot about these freshmen over the next few months.

JOSH JACKSON, Kansas

2017 NBA draft prospect rankings: 1st (ESPN's Chad Ford) and 4th (DraftExpress)

This is going to be the first time Duke and Kansas face each other at the Classic since Wiggins led the Jayhawks to a 94-83 victory as a freshman forward three years ago. Forward Jackson will be looking to shine against the Blue Devils just as Wiggins did back then. He may not be as hyped as Wiggins, who was considered the sure-fire No. 1 pick and drew comparisons to all-time greats before he even played a college game, but Jackson has a top-flight resume himself. A member of the U.S. teams that won the 2014 U17 and 2015 U19 FIBA world championships, he is a versatile forward accustomed to competing with and against elite players, and received the sixth-most votes for the AP's preseason All-American team.

Although Kansas also has a talented guard tandem in junior Devonte' Graham and senior Frank Mason, Jackson will likely be the Jayhawks' top scorer and all-around player now that Perry Ellis and Wayne Selden, last season's leading scorers, are gone. Against Indiana on Friday night, he had 16 points, four rebounds, and three assists but shot just three-for-11 from the floor. Kansas lost, 103-99.

BAM ADEBAYO, Kentucky

2017 NBA draft prospect rankings: 16th (ESPN's Chad Ford) and 14th (DraftExpress)

Adebayo, the high school player of the year in North Carolina last year, decided to leave the state for college. He's not expected to stay at Kentucky beyond this year, which is nothing new for the program; since the 2009-10 season, 18 one-and-dones have gone through coach John Calipari's revolving door. Adebayo, a strong and physical power forward at six-foot-ten and 260 pounds, gives the Wildcats a presence in the paint and is a good complement to Malik Monk and De'Aaron Fox, Kentucky's two star freshman guards. Kentucky won its two games this weekend, with Fox, Monk, and Adebayo starting both. Fox is averaging 16.5 points and 7.5 assists, Monk is averaging 13.0 points, and Adebayo is averaging 9.5 points.

DE'AARON FOX, Kentucky

2017 NBA draft prospect rankings: 12th (ESPN's Chad Ford) and 12th (DraftExpress)

During his tenure at Kentucky, Calipari has coached several top points guards, including John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, and Tyler Ulis, all of whom are now in the NBA. Fox should join them in the league next year. The six-foot-three point guard scored a game-high 23 points in the Jordan Brand Classic in April and averaged more than 30 points as a high school senior, but Fox is even better known for his quickness and his defense. Next month, Kentucky faces UCLA, North Carolina, and Louisville, so Fox will have plenty of chances to see where he and the Wildcats stand before conference play begins on December 29th.

MALIK MONK, Kentucky

2017 NBA draft prospect rankings: 8th (ESPN's Chad Ford) and 11th (DraftExpress)

Although Monk and Fox are only freshmen, few backcourts in the country are as talented as Kentucky's, which also features sophomore Isaiah Briscoe. Briscoe, who averaged 9.6 points in 32.2 minutes per game last season, is the team's leading returner scorer, but Monk is likely to be Kentucky's top scorer and most athletic player this season. Monk and Fox were co-MVPs at the Jordan Brand Classic in April, and their games complement each other with Fox running the point and Monk playing on the wing. They are major reasons why SEC coaches and national media members selected Kentucky to win the conference title.

MILES BRIDGES, Michigan State

2017 NBA draft prospect rankings: 10th (ESPN's Chad Ford) and 26th (DraftExpress)

The Spartans only return one of their top six scorers, and Denzel Valentine, a first-team All-American last season, is now in the NBA. Two projected starters (senior forwards Gavin Schilling and Ben Carter) are also out with knee injuries, so Michigan State will rely early on a freshman class that Scout.com ranks third behind Duke and Kentucky. Bridges, a high-flying wing player, is the best of Michigan State's newcomers. He grew up in Flint, Michigan, but played his final three years of high school basketball at Huntington Prep in West Virginia. He turned down a scholarship offer from Kentucky to return home and play for the Spartans. In Michigan State's loss to Arizona Friday night, Bridges had a game-high 21 points, plus seven rebounds and some highlight-worthy dunks.

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