Michigan State introduced itself as a real force on Friday in a close-shave loss to No. 2 Gonzaga, which ended in a missed would-be buzzer-beater to win it, but its unrelenting schedule leaves no time to lick wounds. The Spartans next draw a matchup Tuesday with No. 4 Kentucky in the first of a Champions Classic doubleheader.
Kentucky may be without Oscar Tshiebwe, the reigning national player of the year, who is still recovering from a minor preseason procedure, but the Wildcats’ roster is far from toothless. (Err, clawless.) It is 2-0 with a top-20 scoring margin thus far this season anchored by the sharpshooting duo of Antonio Reeves and CJ Frederick.
Sparty will be its biggest test of the young season, though, and with a veteran-laden roster and a Hall of Famer vs. Hall of Famer coaching matchup, there’s sure to be plenty of storylines worth following in this one.
How to watch Kentucky vs. Michigan State live
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 15 | Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse — Indianapolis, Indiana
TV: ESPN | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Kentucky vs. Michigan State: Need to know
Injury woes for UK: Kentucky might have the highest ceiling of any team in college hoops this season, but its early season injury woes are putting a damper on its current forecast. Not only is reigning NPOY big man Oscar Tshiebwe still rehabbing, with his status questionable, but leading assist man Sahvir Wheeler may be limited — or out — due to an ongoing knee injury, too. Their absences would leave UK without its top scorer, shot-blocker, rebounder and assist man from last season.
Is sharpshooting sticky for Cats? Kentucky ranked outside the top 100 among all Division I teams last season in 3-point shooting and one of its main objectives in the offseason was to bolster its abilities on that front. Beware the small sample, but: mission accomplished maybe? UK this season in two games ranks seventh nationally, hitting 51.2% of its attempts on the season. That number is likely to fall — by 10 percentage points, maybe more — but anything around 40% would be a major upgrade over last season.
Calipari’s dominance over MSU: John Calipari is 3-1 all-time coaching against Michigan State in a record accumulated at both Memphis and Kentucky. He was 1-0 with the Tigers (a 92-74 win in the Sweet 16 of the 2008 NCAA Tournament) and is 2-1 with the Cats — with all three of those meetings taking place in the Champions Classic. Izzo clipped Calipari in the first meeting of Cal’s UK tenure, with a 78-74 win in 2013 in what was then a No. 1 (Kentucky) vs. a No. 2 (Michigan State) matchup. But UK has won the last two meetings in both 2016 and 2019. The last matchup a then-No. 2 Kentucky downed a then-No. 1 Michigan State, 69-62.
Kentucky vs. Michigan State prediction, picks
Michigan State figures to be a trendy upset pick in this one after nearly taking down Gonzaga and drawing a matchup against a likely shorthanded Kentucky team that may be without its biggest star. But I’m taking UK to win (and MSU to cover) in this one. The talent disparity skews too heavily in Kentucky’s favor. Wildcats have good size and length and, unlike last year, appear to have quality shooters surrounding them to boot. Prediction: Michigan State +6
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