No. 1 versus No. 2 gave college basketball fans exactly what they wanted to see. No. 4 versus No. 7 wasn't bad either. 

In a game that had nine lead changes, No. 1 Duke pulled away from No. 2 Michigan State for an 88-81 victory in the opening game of Tuesday's Champions Classic at Chicago's United Center. 

The nightcap in Chicago saw No. 4 Kansas hold off No. 7 Kentucky for a 65-61 win in what was another see-saw game that had 10 ties and 12 lead changes. Senior guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk led the way for the Jayhawks with 17 points. 

The only thing the Duke-Michigan State game lacked was the showdown between phenom freshmen Jaren Jackson Jr. of Michigan State and Duke's Marvin Bagley III. The 6-11 big men were supposed to spend the night battling in the paint, but Bagley left early in the first half after getting poked in the eye by a teammate. He finished with only four points while Jackson had 19 points and seven rebounds for the Spartans. 

Here are three takeaways from Tuesday's Champions Classic 

1. Despite fabulous freshmen, Grayson Allen still the man for Duke — The 6-5 senior guard was crafty and effective Tuesday, finishing with a game-high 37 points. After Bagley was forced to leave, Allen took charge. As the only senior on Duke's team, Allen led the Blue Devils the way a senior should. Allen was 11 of 20 from the floor, including 7 of 11 from behind the 3-point arc, and shined as the best player on the floor.

Allen said he benefited from the attention freshman guard Trevon Duval, who had 17 points, drew from the Spartans. 

2. Spartans need Miles Bridges to lead — Bridges took just three shots in the first half of Tuesday's game and finished 7 of 15 for 19 points with four assists. He has to take charge of the offense to set up opportunities for others. Bridges is a national player of the year candidate and must play like it if Michigan State is going to make a Final Four run. 

3. Kentucky is not yet a championship-caliber team, but will be — John Calipari's team has eight freshmen — including all five starters — and the Wildcats played like youngsters at times against Kansas. Kentucky showed flashes of brilliance, especially 6-5 guard Hamidou Diallo, who had 14 points, but 18 turnovers did in Kentucky. Kevin Knox, a 6-9 freshman forward, led all scorers with 20 points.  

Calipari is one of the best coaches in the country and, just as he's done in the past, he'll have the long and athletic Wildcats ready for a deep NCAA Tournament run in March.