Report: Kansas forward Zach Clemence is out for Tuesday's game vs Duke

Kansas is going to be a bit thin in the front-court against Duke tonight in the Champions Classic. College Basketball insider Jon Rothstein reports that Jayhawk assistant coach Norm Roberts informed him that the team will be without sophomore big man Zach Clemence against Duke. Here was that update, which he shared in a tweet:

“Kansas’ Zach Clemence (nose) is OUT for today’s game against Duke, per Norm Roberts. Affects the Jayhawks’ depth up front.”

So an injury to the sniffer to keep the second-year forward out for tonight’s game. Clemence was a contender for the starting center job heading into this season but was ultimately beat out by blue-chip freshman Ernest Udeh. Even freshman Zuby Ejiofor has gotten more minutes than Clemence down low to start the year.

Not a big blow, but definitely takes away some depth and experience down low for Kansas. That pair of freshman have a tall task in matching up with Duke’s five-star front-court of Kyle Filipowski and Dereck Lively. A lot of youth on youth in the paint tonight.

How to watch Duke vs. Kansas

Tip-off: 9:30 p.m. EST

Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Indiana)

Channel: ESPN

Vegas odds

Duke is a 0.5-point favorite over Kansas on Tuesday according to VegasInsider. The over-under is set at 144.5 points.

ESPN BPI prediction

Predicted winner: Kansas

Predicted point differential: 1.6

Win probability (for Kansas): 56.1%

Matchup quality: 93.0

ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a tool that measures team strength and uses that to predict outcomes of future performances. ESPN’s BPI has Duke vs. Kansas ranked as the highest-rated game on Tuesday’s slate in terms of matchup quality.

KenPom prediction

Predicted final score: Kansas 74, Duke 73

Win probability (for Kansas): 51%

KenPom is another tool that provides advanced analysis across college basketball. Like ESPN, KenPom projects Kansas will come away with the victory over Duke in Indy.