That Kyrie Irving Kid is Pretty Good

There are those of us on this site that follow college basketball recruiting somewhat closely. That’s how we first came to know Kyrie Irving is really, really good at Mr. Naismith’s game.

You see, there was a time when Indiana coach Tom Crean was putting all his eggs into the Irving basket, trying to lure the five-star prospect to Bloomington.

Of course, that didn’t happen. It didn’t work out for anybody but Coach K down there in Duke Land. And by the time Irving signed with the Blue Devils everybody knew he was going to be an instant impact type player as a freshman.

Irving proved that once by being named MVP of the CBE Classic in Kansas City last week.

He hammered the point home in front of a national TV audience Wednesday night when he went for 31 points, six points and two assists in an 84-79 Duke win over Michigan State at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

It wasn’t just the points, either, although that’s certainly huge. It’s not every freshman that goes for that kind of number against a Michigan State team that plays some serious half court defense.

It’s more how Irving went about it. He’s composed with the ball, he’s physically strong, he has a good head for the game. He out-performed veteran Michigan State guards.

Dude is a beast, and is just another reason why Duke has to be considered a favorite to win the national championship, even though it sickens us to think about that.