The Champions Classic has finally arrived, and it’s a joyous day for fans of college basketball.
The Kentucky Wildcats will take on the Michigan State Spartans for the fourth installment of the Wildcats-Spartans Champions Classic series.
So far, Kentucky leads 2-1 over Michigan State with wins in 2016 and 2019 and a loss in 2013.
Kentucky comes into the game with a 2-0 record and two convincing wins over Howard and Duquesne, both being spearheaded by Antonio Reeves and CJ Fredrick scoring barrages.
Through two games, Reeves is the leading scorer for the Wildcats with 20 points per game, followed by Fredrick with 17, and Toppin and Wallace both with 11.5 per game.
Against Duquesne, Sahvir Wheeler made his debut on the season and immediately made his presence felt, adding 11 points and 11 assists with a +32 efficiency while on the floor for the Wildcats.
A big change for the Wildcats this season? They currently rank 7th in the country in 3-point field-goal percentage, shooting 51% from behind the arc on 43 attempts through two games, led by Reeves and Fredrick, each shooting 55% and 50%v respectively.
Michigan State comes into the game with a 1-1 record with a win over Northern Arizona and a one-point loss to Gonzaga in San Diego.
The Spartans come into the game led by AJ Hoggard and Joey Hauser, each posting 10.5 points per game and 10 points per game respectively.
Against Gonzaga, the Spartans had Junior, Mady Sissoko emerge as a force, where he posted 14 points and nine rebounds on the Zags and Drew Timme.
The Spartans, through two games, rank towards the bottom half of the country in 3-point shooting and points per game, shooting just 28% from three with an average of of six made threes per game to go along with 68 points per game.
Opening odds for the game have Kentucky favored by 6.5 points via DraftKings.
It should be a battle in Indy. Cats vs Spartans is the first of the double-header and tips at 7 pm ET on ESPN.
Tweet(s) of the Day
Analysis on Kentucky’s latest recruit, No.1 DJ Wagner:
-The ultimate competitor who puts winning above all else.
— Paul Biancardi (@PaulBiancardi) November 15, 2022
-Thrives in transition. Will score or facilitate with quick decisions.
-Downhill paint toucher with excellent body control.
-Improved outside shooter. pic.twitter.com/ACn5q6qu58
Good times.
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