The Champions Classic is often a good early-season indicator of which of the four college basketball blue bloods in attendance have a chance to be elite. The games can reset narratives — remember Zion Williamson’s explosion onto the scene in 2018 or Kentucky making Bill Self wish he could turn water to vodka in 2014?

It was 10 years ago this week when I was credentialed to cover the Champions Classic at the United Center for the first time. There was, to steal a phrase, palpable buzz in the building. Duke vs. Kansas was a matchup of the top recruits in the country: Jabari Parker vs.