Unfortunately, people who live outside of these four states: Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas and Indiana, just DO NOT CARE about college basketball until March, or maybe mid February. The Champions Classic is a big part of everything that’s right in the initiative to change that.
It’s all about scheduling real games and against real teams in November and December, something Tom Izzo and Michigan State basketball has already been doing for several years.
Broadcast/Basic info:
The neutral-site, early-season men’s doubleheader that matches four of the winningest programs against each other will begin with CollegeGameDay from inside the arena at 7 p.m eastern, thus ending ESPN’s season opening 24 hours of college hoops marathon.
Gameday is hosted by Rece Davis, along with analysts Jay Bilas, Seth Greenberg and Jay Williams. The games commence at 7:30 p.m. with No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 5 Duke, followed by No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 13 Michigan State.
Location: United Center, Chicago
SPREAD: Kansas -6 1/2
Bill Self is Getting to be a bit Tom Creanish
Self has won a national title, and he’s been to a couple Final Fours, so you can only go so far with the Crean comparisons. While Crean is definitely football Ron Zook (great recruiter, lacking as a coach), Self has had plenty of rosters that underachieved far below their recruiting rankings. Chicago Gets to see More Illini Basketball Recruiting Whiffs in Person
Had Cliff Alexander not seen his career flameout so fast, tonight would be a homecoming game for him.
There will still be a 5-star rated big man who picked KU over Illinois on the floor though in Carlton Bragg.
The Biggest MSU Story Line of the Week Only Tangentially Applies to this Game
Signing the #2 recruiting class in the nation this past Wednesday overshadows very other Spartan basketball headline this week. Therefore, if this game goes badly, or you don’t like the product you see on the court this season at any time, just remember that State is going to be a national powerhouse next season.
Michigan State basketball is the James Bond of the Big Ten
MSU are not going to be in the top three in their league this season unfortunately. The Spartans lost too many key pieces and don’t have enough new weapons re-loaded yet.
While State probably won’t be a conference front-runner, they’ll come alive at conference tournament time and then own the first weekends of the NCAA Tournament. Just like with the franchise centered around agent 007 licensed to kill, you know how the script will play out each time.
And of course you come back for every edition to just see how they’ll figure it out. What mid-season adjustments, due to injuries and suspensions, will Tom Izzo have to make this winter? Izzo will inevitably shift his line-ups around and start different combinations early on, so who will eventually be his biggest guns?
Like Max Zorin, the villain played by Christopher Walken in “A View to a Kill” said:
“Intuitive improvisation is the secret of genius.”
Big Picture: Events of this Sort are the Future of College Basketball
Between food and shopping, football is the only sport people will make time for during the holiday season in November and December. When conference play begins in January, there is much more interest in the sport.
Apathy runs amok during the pre-conference, and scheduling, is a big reason why. No one wants to watch their power five conference team waste time pummeling a low-major or mid-major. Most of the pre-conference games are de facto preseason contests. However, the sport is doing a really good job of changing that.
The steps that college hoops has taken here are really underrated and under-appreciated. The College Football Playoff rankings will be announced at halftime, and that will garner a thousand times more interest than this game. That’s inherently wrong, but it is so. Maybe one day that changes.
Small Picture: Don’t Read Too Much Into the Result of the Final Four in November
Because you have two powerhouses, in two big power five conferences, going head to head, this doesn’t have to be a “signature win” for either side. Yes, this Michigan State basketball team wants to win, just as much as the Kansas Jayhawks do, but the loser will eventually get a few resume building wins along the way somewhere.
Also, you can’t extrapolate results in these events to March. Look at UCLA losing to Kentucky 41-7 at halftime last year in the CBS version of this event. The Bruins went on to reach the sweet 16.
Prediction: Kansas 79, Michigan State basketball 68
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. The website is also featured on News Now.
Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye. He also appears regularly on numerous television and radio talk shows all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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