Video: Luke Kennard wins McDonald's All-American 3-point Contest
See the Duke commit show his long-range proficiency in Chicago
CHICAGO – Chase Jeter's schedule has been so hectic he didn't have time to fill out a bracket for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
However, Jeter made sure he picked his Final Four.
It's not surprising who the Duke commit has winning the national championship.
"I have Kentucky and Duke being the last two, and have Duke winning it all," said Jeter during media day on Tuesday for the McDonald's All-American Game players. "You know me, I'm biased to my school, so I think Duke's going to win."
Jeter, a 6-foot-10 center from
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), is on the same page as his future teammate and roommate,
Luke Kennard.
"I've got Duke winning it," said Kennard, who filled out a bracket and also has Kentucky in the title game.
What's the final score, Luke?
"I think it was like 74-68, but pretty close," said Kennard, a fellow McDonald's All-American who played at
Franklin (Ohio).
That's a rather bold prediction since Kentucky will be going for a perfect 40-0 season if it makes the national championship game.
"They have to shoot the ball well. You have to do the little things right against Kentucky," Kennard said about the key to beating the Wildcats. "They're a big team, and I think (Jahlil) Okafor and some of the big guys like (Marshall) Plumlee and Amile Jefferson, they can match up with the big guys. And I think the guards like Justise (Winslow), Matt (Jones), Quinn (Cook) and Tyus (Jones), they need to play some great minutes and knock some shots down from the perimeter. And you've got to be able to rebound against them."
So, there's a blueprint for beating Kentucky. Hey, Coach K, are you paying attention?
Jeter has been excited to see so many freshmen – primarily Okafor, Winslow and Jones -- playing big roles for Duke this season.
"Being able to play as a freshman and have the potential to start as a freshman is a reason why I chose a place like Duke," Jeter said.
Isaiah Briscoe, Roselle Catholic
Photo by Richard Ta
Kennard has had fun watching his future teammates make a deep push in the postseason.
"They've played great, just sharing the ball," Kennard said. "Coach K does great with them. They're just a bunch of team guys playing with each other. The chemistry they have, I know they're close off the court."
While the Duke commits choose their team to win the national title,
Isaiah Briscoe might have something to say about that. Briscoe, who will be Kennard's teammate on the East team for the McDonald's All-American Game, is a Kentucky commit.
"Kentucky's going to win the national championship, that's it. ... They're the best team in college basketball," said Briscoe, who played at
Roselle Catholic (N.J.).
Briscoe calls Kentucky's 38-game winning streak "unreal."
"I'm so proud of them and so happy for everybody that's on the Kentucky team, the coaching staff," he said. "That's their hard work."
Michigan State signee
Deyonta Davis didn't have time to fill out a tournament bracket, but he was sure his Spartans would make a great run because of coach Tom Izzo. A run all the way to the Final Four, though?
"I'm surprised, but I knew they had it in them," said Davis, who is a
Muskegon (Mich.) product.
Davis is confident Michigan State can take down Duke in the first national semifinal game on Saturday.
"Somebody just needs to stay on Jahlil, other than that, we're going to be good," Davis said.
That sounds simple enough. Hopefully Izzo is listening to his future power forward, who likens his game to former Spartan Adreian Payne.
Wisconsin doesn't have any McDonald's All-Americans this year, but there are two players who hail from the Badger state:
Henry Ellenson and
Diamond Stone, two of the top 10 prospects in their class.
"I'm pretty sure the Wildcats are going to take it all," said Stone, who played at
Dominican (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) and verbally committed to Maryland last week over Wisconsin. "They just have so many weapons. They have three 7-footers and they're hard to guard."
"It's hard to not pick Kentucky," said Ellenson, who played at
Rice Lake (Wis.). "That's a powerhouse right now with all the talent they have."
So there you have it: Three votes for Kentucky, two for Duke and one for Michigan State.
The experts have spoken.
