Duke vs. Kansas: Talented Blue Devils Will Top Jayhawks in Battle of Titans

When Kansas played Kentucky earlier in the month, we got a slight preview as to the kind of team that the Jayhawks will be. They're good and clearly have a lot of talent, but when they're on the road or at a neutral site, they don't quite have what it takes to stack up to the other top programs in the country.

While Duke isn't quite at Kentucky's talent level, they do have a similar setup. They just have more talent than Kansas, at least right now. Kansas is still a team that can grow and get better but right now, they aren't at the same level. 

As far as their preseason schedule goes, Kansas should be far more concerned with how they play against Ohio State on Dec. 10. That's a home game, and they will have a few games that should be easier between now and then, which can help them build depth. 

At least a close loss would show Kansas as a real threat later in the season.

Now, if we're looking at depth, Duke already has it.

In their win against No. 15 Michigan, four players had ten points, while three of them were over 15 (the other had 14). 

The one who didn't was Mason Plumlee, who's hardly a weak link. With Plumlee and Ryan Kelly, the Blue Devils have a strong front court. In Seth Curry, Andre Dawkins and Austin Rivers, their back court is hardly a concern.

The point here is that while Kansas is certainly a good team, they don't quite stack up to teams like Duke or Kentucky. Not now, anyway. 

If this game was in Kansas and the "Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk" chants were going, it would be a different story. Conversely, if this game was at Duke and the Cameron Crazies were jumping all over the place, I'd be calling for a blowout.

But this one is in Hawaii. So, it's fair to say that we'll see a competitive game but in the end, the deeper, more talented Blue Devils will reign supreme.

Prediction: Duke 79, Kansas 68