Andrew Wiggins vs. Jabari Parker: Major Takeaways from Matchup Will Be Minimal

College basketball, Tuesday night is all yours. 

On an evening usually reserved for nightly NBA action, your randomly entertaining mid-major college football game or even the latest episode of New Girl (no judgsies), college basketball's State Farm Champions Classic has two matchups befitting of Final Four treatment.

At 7:30 p.m. ET, Chicago's United Center will play host to the earliest matchup between AP No. 1 and No. 2 teams in history, when Kentucky takes on Michigan State. The Wildcats and Spartans both got off to stellar starts, winning their three total games by a combined 104 points. It'll be the first time the two best teams in the country have met in more than five years.

And it's not even the game at the top of the marquee. 

It's rare—OK, pretty much unprecedented—that a battle between the top two teams in the country would get second billing. But that's what happens when arguably the two most-hyped high school basketball players since LeBron James spark the beginning of what could be a great rivalry.

Of course, I refer to the game that comes after No. 1 vs. No. 2—when Jabari Parker's Duke Blue Devils take on Andrew Wiggins and the Kansas Jayhawks.

I'm sure you all have heard of these kids. The player whom Sports Illustrated deemed the "best high school player since LeBron James." And then there's the player who most feel actually was the best prep star since the four-time NBA MVP. Wiggins and Parker whetted fan appetites on Friday, both turning in stellar performances in season-opening wins and reassuring fans that they are not, in fact, dueling Sidd Finches. 

This is the game we've been waiting (four days) for. Nearly every NBA team will have scouts at the United Center, with possibly four of the top five players in next year's draft in action (Kentucky's Julius Randle and Kansas' Joel Embiid being the others). Ratings will probably smash any pre-March game. Fans who have heard so much about Parker and Wiggins from their hoops-obsessed friends will be seeing them for the first time.

This is a big freaking deal. It's great for the sport, great for the teams and great for anyone who is looking for something to do after New Girl is over. 

Just a couple words of advice before you all tune in: Calm. Down.

Since we live in a narrative-driven culture, palpable pressure will be in place to turn this matchup into something it's not. If Duke wins and Parker plays well, get ready for 5,000 nonsensical, original thought-havers telling you that Parker is already "supplanting" Wiggins as the top prospect in next June's draft. If Wiggins has a coming-out party, get ready for the inevitable gushing. There will be pieces written about why Randle isn't getting the attention he deserves—especially if the game disappoints. Oh, how the schadenfreude will come barreling in if this game disappoints. 

Narrative. Narrative. Narrative. It'll be forced down your throat like your aunt's disgusting cream corn you eat because it's Thanksgiving and she's family and that's what people do.

The reality is that Tuesday night won't tell us much more about these teams and these two players than we already know. There will be a winner and a loser, and the victor will probably wind up as the second-ranked team in the country come next week. Whoever plays better between Wiggins and Parker may get an artificial bump from a few scouts, but that's only because—like the Final Four—there will just be more of them on hand and more differing opinions.

And whatever we "learn" on Tuesday night will ultimately be temporary. Neither the Blue Devils nor the Jayhawks are built for an undefeated campaign, and the season-opening rankings rarely reflect what we see come Selection Sunday. In the end, it'll be a resume-boosting win at the beginning of a season—something that's rarely looked upon as having that much clout.

As for Wiggins and Parker, we're only beginning to scratch the surface of seeing what a year of college ball can do for them. The benefit of the one-and-done system is that it essentially acts as the minor leagues for the NBA; no player is immune to scrutiny or improvement. It's wholly possible that, by the time we reach March Madness, Parker will have surpassed Wiggins. Or someone else will have. Or that endtimes are near and we'll never get to know how this saga ends.

Whatever. What's put before us isn't unlike when these two met at the McDonald's All-American Game.

Wiggins is still more potential than polish. He's one of the better athletes you'll ever see at his size, able to throw down a SportsCenter Top 10 highlight in the blink of an eye. He's also still improving as an off-the-dribble shooter and shot-creator, and Bill Self's reputation for not having "stars" on his team precedes him. Wiggins is still finding his place on the team as a leader, still learning how to consistently defend and still preparing for his second college game.

And it shouldn't surprise anyone in the least if Parker looks better. He's as polished an offensive talent as you'll come by at this point, who can work in the post and beyond the three-point arc. But he's also a defensive sieve, only a good athlete and can be prone to mental lapses. Duke's uptempo stylings will just be more conducive to individual numbers.

None of this is meant to take away from your enjoyment. Parker-Wiggins I will be intoxicatingly awesome even if it sucks. I'm going to watch and enjoy every minute, and so should you. 

Just do yourself a favor, avoid the narrative stupidity that COLUMNISTS will try to shove down your throat and bask in the historical anomaly. There will be a winner, there will be a loser, but we are far from adjudication.

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