The Champions Classic is set to open the college hoops season with a bang as the nation’s top two teams square off in the season opener at the world’s most famous arena.
College basketball knows how to start its season with style, and the Champions Classic delivers in spades. This annual event, pitting four of the sports’ premier programs against each other, features the top four teams in the preseason poll taking the floor in New York City.
The headliner is the late game, which is a matchup between No. 1 Michigan State and No. 2 Kentucky. Both squads are legitimate national title contenders, and how they stack up should be an interesting test for these teams.
Michigan State is the preseason top dog for the first time, and they have shown that they are legit thanks to the presence of Hall of Fame coach Tom Izzo and National Player of the Year candidate Cassius Winston. The senior point guard makes the Spartans’ offense go, and his experience should prove to be key against a talented-but-young Kentucky team.
John Calipari‘s bunch features some parallels to the 2015 edition of the Wildcats, which saw several key players return for their sophomore season to join a core of elite freshmen. That Kentucky team was undefeated heading into the Final Four, so if these Wildcats can come even close to that level of success it would be a huge accomplishment.
In terms of talent, these two teams are a very even match, but the Spartans’ experience could give them an edge this early in the season. Either way, it wouldn’t be a shock to have this meeting be a precursor to another showdown in the NCAA Tournament.
How to watch Michigan State vs. Kentucky
- Date: Tuesday, Nov. 5
- Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
- Location: New York, NY
- Venue: Madison Square Garden
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- Odds: Michigan State -2.5 (The Action Network)
- Prediction: Michigan State
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