The Michigan State Spartans and Kansas Jayhawks help tip off the 2018-19 college basketball season on Tuesday, Nov. 6 in the the Champions Classic.
The Kansas Jayhawks enter the 2018-19 college basketball season as the top-ranked team in the country and rightfully so. Bill Self’s team appears to be primed to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament when March rolls around with a deep, experienced roster. However, they have to get to March first, and that starts with their season-opener in the Champions Classic on Tuesday night against the No. 10 Michigan State Spartans.
While Kansas fans will surely be thrilled to see Lagerald Vick and Udoka Azubuike returning as key forces in the backcourt and frontcourt, respectively, it’s Memphis transfer Dedric Lawson that’s stealing all the headlines. The big man was productive for the Tigers and, now coming into the limelight with the Jayhawks, many are looking for him to be the star.
As for the stars of Sparty, Michigan State is looking at Cassius Winston to be that guy, one of the more underrated players in all of college basketball. Winston can fill up the box score from the guard position and he’ll be expected to be a catalyst playing a more featured role this season.
For Tuesday night’s contest, however, the big keys will be the players around Winston and Lawson. Michigan State will need their frontcourt to step up to deal with the losses of Jaren Jackson and Miles Bridges. Meanwhile, Kansas needs to see a strong showing from freshman Quentin Grimes in this one. Clearly, however, there is a lot to learn about both teams in the Champions Classic from Indianapolis.
TV and Live Stream Info
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 6
Start Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Arena: Bankers Life Fieldhouse
TV Info: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
In truth, a game to open the season doesn’t mean all that much. While it will certainly play into the tournament resumes for Michigan State and Kansas, these teams aren’t finished products — because no college basketball team is in their first game. So while we can glean many things from the result, don’t form your final evaluations after a single 40 minutes of play.