More people should be talking about the #1 Kentucky Wildcats match-up with the #2 Michigan State Spartans right now. Yes, I know it’s a college football Saturday today, and NFL Sunday tomorrow, but you’d think a game of this magnitude would have more buzz. It’s the earliest #1 vs #2 have ever met in a college basketball season and the first time #1 versus #2 have met since 2008.
It’s only a couple days away, so you’d think we will hear more about it between now and Tuesday. ESPN College Gameday is going to be in Chicago for Kentucky Wildcats vs MSU, (and of course Duke vs Kansas which follows it). A lot of sports fans still don’t know what the Champions Classic is. Or they of the event but don’t know it’s called the Champions Classic. Or they think this is the first time it’s being held. It’s actually the third time. And it was just announced a couple days ago that the event is being renewed for another three years, with city locations already designated.
TV: ESPN 6:30 Central
SPREAD: TBA
Where: United Center, home of the Chicago Bulls
Michigan State Preview:
Tom Izzo, Michigan State head coach:
“Three years ago I said the Champions Classic was like having a Final Four in November. Just look at this year’s event, and it’s possible the collection of teams is even better than most Final Fours. Combining these four elite programs in one event has provided a great tip-off event for the college basketball season, providing excellent exposure not only for the schools involved, but also the sport during a crowded time on the sports calendar.”
Tom Izzo makes a great point.
The sports calendar is sort of imbalanced, but once it gets moving, it has a lot of velocity.
For about four months in the summer you have pretty much nothing but baseball. And that lull is extremely brutal.
But once college football starts– boom! The NFL is the very next week. Hockey preseason starts two weeks after college football. NBA and college basketball media days begin and within a four week span “what am I ever going to write about?” has turned into “what topics will I have to cut?” Izzo’s right that mid-November is the most crowded time on the sports calendar; with college hoops coming last.
Then again college basketball season is always something that never gets here soon enough for me. I prefer college hoops over college football. And I should; I attended two college hoops power houses (University of Illinois ’99, Michigan State MBA). College basketball, not the NBA or NFL or college football “is my bag baby.”
This is without a doubt the biggest preconference game that Izzo has ever coached in. At that says a lot since he has coached in the best Maui Invitational ever, the first ever aircraft carrier game (what a an awesome backdrop, and great idea. Just not practical, and can’t be executed. Bummer, but those are going to go away now), the first ever U.S. Armed Forces base game, all the headliners in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, well, you get the point. Like Izzo said at Big Ten Media Day, State is known to schedule as tough a non-conference schedule as anyone; every year. He also articulated why that is at Big Ten Media Day.
He said it’s three-fold: for television, the advice of former Temple Coach John Chaney and the Michigan Wolverines Fab 5. When he took over at MSU, they weren’t the big brand that they are now. The Fab 5 were all the rage, and Izzo had to do something to compete with them to get attention. You get attention by getting on television, and Chaney and Izzo had a series which got MSU on national tv.
And it’s been a tradition for MSU ever since. They’ve kept the tough schedule, and it’s served them well. Even if it looks masochistic, and leads to a lower winning percentage, it’s helped them reach Final Fours. And he said he tries to pick a team from each conference, and later when he runs into a team from that conference in the NCAA Tournament, he has a blueprint of sorts. That’s the mission to his madness.
They’ve been an outside the box program, not a gimmick program, but a team that’s gone places and done some cool things in November and December. And this is the first #1 vs #2 they’ll play in.
COMPLETE MICHIGAN STATE SEASON PREVIEW
Projected Depth Chart
F/C: Matt Costello (So)/Alex Gauna (Jr)
PF: Adreian Payne (Sr)/Gavin Schilling (Fr)/Kanny Kaminski (Fr)
SF: Branden Dawson (Jr)/Russell Byrd (Jr)
SG: Gary Harris (So)/Denzel Valentine (So)/Alvin Ellis (Fr)
PG: Keith Appling (Sr)/Travis Trice (Jr)
Gone: C-Derrick Nix, G/F-Brandan Kearney (transfer-Arizona State)
Kentucky Wildcats preview:
Last night in the season opener for both teams, Kentucky
Michigan State destroyed McNeese State 98-56 as Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year Gary Harris had his first career double double. The Kentucky Wildcats likewise rolled their opposition, demolishing UNC-Asheville 89-58. Julius Randle led the way with 23 points. The Harrison twins both started, but didn’t really put up huge numbers.
With arguably the best recruiting class of all-time and potentially nine future NBA first round picks, it’s obvious why the Kentucky Wildcats are the #1 ranked team in pretty much every preseason poll or prediction that has been released this Fall. This is definitely McDonald’s All-American University, as all the MAA’s are heading to Lexington these days. Which means they’ll feel right at home on the United Center, because that’s the home of the high school All-Star game these days.
From David Kmiecik’s Kentucky Wildcats season preview:
Chemistry issues and players failing find their roles were huge reasons why the Kentucky Wildcats were one of the most disappointing teams in college basketball last season as they missed out on the NCAA Tournament and ended up getting bounced in the first round of the NIT. It is a blessing to have this much talent assembled on one team but it can also be a curse.
Calipari needs to find balance throughout his roster, making sure each guys accepts whatever role is deemed his rather than trying to be glory hogs. If that is accomplished, this Kentucky team should be a lot more similar to the 2011-12 Champions as opposed to last year’s debacle (at least by UK standards) of a squad.
Projected Depth Chart
C: Willie Cauley-Stein (So)/Dakari Johnson (Fr)
PF: Julius Randle (Fr)/Marcus Lee (Fr)/Derek Willis (Fr)
SF: Alex Poythress (So)/Jon Hood (Sr)
SG: Aaron Harrison (Fr)/James Young (Fr)
PG: Andrew Harrison (Fr)/Jarrod Polson (Sr)/Dominique Hawkins (Fr)
Gone: F/C-Nerlens Noel, G-Archie Goodwin, SG-Julius Mays, PF-Kyle Wiltjer (transfer-Gonzaga), PG-Ryan Harrow (transfer-Georgia State), G-Twany Beckham
Prediction: Kentucky Wildcats 86, Michigan State 81
It’s weird that this game is scheduled as the undercard, even though it’s clearly the main event. Izzo admitted at Big Ten Media Day that State doesn’t have the cachet of UK. And that’s why he’s lost a few recruiting battles to the Kentucky Wildcats. Which is also why I think the favorite University of Ashley Judd takes this game. It’s got a very “talent-versus-team” feel. Exactly like the 2005 national title game, when the talent of North Carolina beat the team of Illinois.
Look for it to be close again, but the Big Ten also again coming up short. Izzo hasn’t fared very well in these big name preconference games, other than the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, and the contests he hosts at the Breslin Center. The neutral site games, not so much. Of course, MSU will have a home court advantage of sorts. Michigan State alums don’t move to Detroit en masse upon graduation, they move to Chicago. Check out any of the team or school themed sports bars in Chicago– it’s all MSU domination.
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also an analyst for multiple news talk radio stations across the world; with regular weekly segments on NBC and Fox Sports Radio. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) and RSS