Grading college basketball's notable lineup decisions: Duke, Arkansas have made right early moves

In some ways, money drives college basketball's lineups now more than ever, no matter how often certain coaches try to downplay it. High-priced free agent signings will get every opportunity to earn a lion's share of the minutes.

But if recruiting rankings go out the door when a player steps foot onto campus, big non-conference games have a way of illuminating if changes to the rotation need to be made, regardless of who is making what. 

Let's dive into five key rotation battles that have our attention and are already looming large.

Inside the numbers of Arkansas' 5-man platoon

The battle between an offense-first center in Malique Ewin and a defense-first option in Nick Pringle has been pretty one-sided throughout the first month.

Pringle is up in the 24-minute range, while Ewin has earned just over 14 minutes a night.

The defensive metrics tell the whole story. Arkansas' rim defense has predictably been much better with Pringle on the floor. The 6-10, 230-pound bulldog isn't an Olympic high jumper, but he's an interior enforcer. Arkansas' defense has been fantastic with Pringle in the game, allowing a minuscule 86.9 points per 100 possessions, according to hoop-explorer. Arkansas' defensive rating spikes dramatically -- not a good thing -- when Pringle exits the game.

• Arkansas' defensive rating with Pringle on the floor: 86.9 in 259 possessions
• Arkansas' defensive rating with Pringle on the bench: 109.5 in 179 possessions

Ewin's top-of-the-key dimes and slick drives can help this offense, but his defense was notoriously shaky at Florida State last year and he hasn't earned the trust of the staff yet. Also, Calipari's offense is notoriously guard-driven. This group is no different with Meleek Thomas and Darius Acuff Jr. leading the charge.

John Calipari, Arkansas preparing for physical 'battle' vs. Duke in CBS Thanksgiving Classic

David Cobb

At this point, Arkansas has prioritized defense over offense at the 5 spot. Pringle's six-point, six-rebound stat line might not pop off the page, but Arkansas has a +40.5 net rating with him on the floor. That's why he's playing. Calipari's rotation decisions can leave much to be desired at times, but not in this instance. The data suggests that Pringle is the right center to have on the floor right now. He needs to play the best game of his young season against Duke's front-line trio of Cameron Boozer, Pat Ngongba and Maliq Brown. Grade: A

Duke's pivot at point guard has paid off 

Point guard play is the ultimate ceiling raiser in college basketball and was one of the biggest red flags on Duke's preseason profile. So far, it's not been much of a concern amid a 7-0 start.

For all the preseason consternation around Cayden Boozer or Caleb Foster, the answer lately for Jon Scheyer has been: both.

After not playing a second together in the season-opening win over Texas, getting Boozer and Foster on the floor together has slowly become a real part of Duke's favorite lineups, especially in closing time. Duke used Foster-Boozer lineups for over seven straight minutes to close out the Blue Devils' win over Kansas in the Champions Classic. 

Overall, Duke has a sparkling +44 net rating with Foster and Boozer on the floor together in 44 minutes, per CBB Analytics.

Duke vs. Arkansas prediction, pick, odds: Blue Devils, Razorbacks meet in CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic

Cameron Salerno

The film backs it up. While he's not a traditional set-the-table point guard, Foster has settled in nicely into his role as a 3-and-D weapon. He is shooting over 45% from 3-point range on 22 attempts, and his point-of-attack defense has been outstanding. Boozer has been so steady, totaling a 4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. 

They're not driving the Duke bus, but Foster and Boozer have been dependable role players that Scheyer wants to get on the floor together. I have a feeling that duo could see plenty of minutes together on Thursday to help slow down Arkansas' duo of Acuff and Thomas. Grade: B+

Changing of the guard in Kentucky after slow start

It hasn't taken long for Kentucky to change this up. Freshman Malachi Moreno has jumped junior big man Brandon Garrison for the starting center spot. Kentucky's defense has been significantly better with Moreno (eight points per 100 possessions) in the early-going, and he's proven to be an advanced processor and an effective hub for Kentucky's backdoors-laden offense. 

Once Jayden Quaintance returns, I wouldn't be surprised if Kentucky tinkers with some Moreno-Quaintance lineups to get extra size and mobility on the floor together. Grade: A

Kansas State's lineups in flux after back-to-back Ls

Kansas State's prized international addition, Andrej Kostic, has not been a big part of the rotation in back-to-back losses to Nebraska and Indiana. The 6-6 guard is unafraid offensively, but Jerome Tang has ditched trying to play Kostic and Abdi Bashir Jr. at the same time due to serious defensive hot spots. Kansas State's defense has an untenable 128 defensive rating with Kostic and Bashir on the floor together in 30 minutes.

Tang benched both of them for 27 of 40 minutes in Tuesday's 86-69 loss to Indiana, but the Hoosiers still managed 1.13 points per possession against a Kansas State defense that has been a sieve in the early going.  Grade: D

Purdue's supporting cast rising to the occasion

It's pretty clear who Purdue's best option at the 2-spot is right now. CJ Cox was pushed by Gicarri Harris hard in the preseason, and he responded with two massive showings in Purdue's victories over Memphis and Texas Tech in The Bahamas. Cox poured in 18 points and drained four triples against Memphis. He added 10 points and some blanketing defense on Christian Anderson in Purdue's 30-point romp over Texas Tech. 

Purdue has an absurd +40.2 net rating with Cox on the floor against top-100 teams this season. Cox's spot in the starting lineup is safe for the time being. Grade: A