Big Blue Nation will be well represented at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, La. when two of the NBA’s biggest stars face off there in November.
It will be Karl-Anthony Towns versus Anthony Davis when the Minnesota Timberwolves visit the New Orleans Pelicans for a regular-season road game on Nov. 23.
The University of Kentucky men’s basketball program is omnipresent in the NBA. Davis and Towns are among the league’s premier players who appear to have long professional playing careers ahead of them. The two former Kentucky big men have become must-see television for hoops fans in short amounts of time.
In just his third NBA season, Davis became a First Team All-NBA selection while leading the Pelicans to the playoffs for the first time in his pro career. That same season, he finished in the top 10 in a number of statistical categories and was a legitimate MVP candidate.
Last season, Towns excelled while living up to the expectations put on him after being drafted No. 1 overall in 2015. He started all 82 regular-season games and set franchise records in a number of statistical categories for a Timberwolves rookie. He went on to become the unanimous winner of the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award.
The matchup between Davis and Towns next season will be the main attraction to an otherwise lopsided pairing of teams. The Timberwolves boast a young, athletic roster with playoff potential and a new but proven head coach in Tom Thibodeau. The Pelicans, on the other hand, have been pretty much a one-man show with Davis carrying the team on his back; they will be looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2015-16 season that was riddled with injuries and fell way short of expectations.
Still, the star power of Towns and Davis alone should be enough to make this game an intriguing one to watch. The 7-foot, 244-pound Towns plays the center position for Minnesota and has already become one of the unquestioned leaders of the young Timberwolves squad. The 6-foot-10, 253-pound Davis plays both power forward and center and is also the unquestioned leader of his team.
As a Division I college basketball player, Davis led the Kentucky Wildcats to a 38-2 overall record and a national championship. He racked up numerous accolades, including being named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year. He was also selected as both the SEC Freshman of the Year and SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He would go on to be selected as the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2012.
Like Davis, Towns also had a successful tenure at Kentucky. He led the Wildcats to a 38-1 overall record and a Final Four appearance. He, too, would be named the SEC Freshman of the Year. He also was a First Team All-SEC selection and a SEC All-Freshman Team selection.
Both Davis and Towns declared for the NBA Draft after playing just one season of college basketball. The two Kentucky products have garnered NBA success that contradicts the often criticized one-and-done trend in college hoops.
The showdown between Towns and Davis is sure to provide a glimpse of the next wave of greatness in the NBA. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. EST. The game will be shown on ESPN.
