Men’s Basketball Opens Season on Tuesday against No. 3 Kansas in Champions Classic

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State's men's basketball team travels to New York City to play in the season-opening Champions Classic against No. 3 Kansas at Madison Square Garden, the World's Most Famous Arena, on Tuesday, Nov. 9 (7 p.m.). The Spartans tuned up for the regular season with a pair of exhibition wins, first a 92-58 decision against Ferris State on Oct.28 and then an 83-60 victory over Grand Valley State on Nov. 4.

The game will air live on ESPN, with Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas and Holly Rowe calling all of the action. The TCF Bank Spartan Media Network radio call can be heard on one of 38 affiliates and on the web at MSUSpartans.com, with Will Tieman handling the play-by-play and Matt Steigenga serving as the color analyst. The game can also be heard on Sirius, XM and Internet 85.
About the Spartans

The Spartans return nine letterwinners from last year's team that finished 15-13 overall and 9-11 in the Big Ten and reached the NCAA Tournament for the 23rd-straight season, the second-longest active streak in Division I.
MSU won five of its last seven regular season games, including three against teams ranked in the top-five of the Associated Press.
Including team captains Gabe Brown and Malik Hall, Head Coach Tom Izzo welcomes back six players who started at least five games apiece last year.
Other players who had experience in the lineup who return this year include redshirt senior forward Joey Hauser, who averaged 9.7 points and 5.6 rebounds and started 16 times.
Also returning is senior forward Marcus Bingham Jr., who had five starts last year and averaged 3.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, which ranked among the best in the Big Ten.
Sophomore guard A.J. Hoggard averaged 2.5 points and 1.8 rebounds in 13.4 minutes and junior forward Julius Marble started nine games while averaging 4.0 points and 2.1 rebounds.

Exhibition Recap

Michigan State posted a pair of victories in exhibition games to start the 2021-22 season, beating Ferris State, 92-58, on October 27 and following that up with an 83-60 win over Grand Valley State on Nov. 4.
Freshman guard Max Christie averaged 15.5 points and 3.5 rebounds while connecting on 57.9 percent of his field goals (11-of-19) to lead three players in double figures.
Senior forward Gabe Brown averaged 15.0 points and 5.0 rebounds, while hitting 58.8 percent of his shots (10-of-17), including 54.5 percent from 3-point land (6-of-11).
Redshirt senior forward Joey Hauser added 11.0 points and 7.5 rebounds and senior forward Marcus Bingham Jr. added 9.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks in 17.0 minutes.

At the Champions Classic

Michigan State is 4-6 all-time in the Champions Classic.
MSU beat then-No. 6 Duke, 75-69, in last year's event, which was played in Durham, N.C. due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kentucky has a 5-5 record in the Champions Classic, Duke is 6-4 and Kansas is 5-5.

About Kansas

Kansas enters the 2021-22 season ranked No. 3 in the Associated Press preseason poll and No. 3 in the USA Today Coaches poll.
The Jayhawks went 21-9 last year and finished with a 12-6 record in the Big 12 (second place).
Kansas returns four starters from last year's team, led by junior guard Ochai Agbaji, who averaged 14.1 points and 3.7 rebounds in 33.6 minutes last season.
The Jayhawks also return two other players who scored in double figures, including 6-10 junior center David McCormack, who averaged 13.4 points and 6.1 rebounds, and redshirt sophomore Jalen Wilson was third on the team with 11.8 points and led the team with 7.9 rebounds.
Kansas also adds redshirt senior guard Remy Martin, a transfer from Arizona State who averaged 19.1 points and 3.7 assists last season.

Series History

Michigan State and Kansas have met 14 times prior to Tuesday night's game, with each team posting seven wins.
MSU has a 2-1 edge in games in the Champions Classic.
The Jayhawks won the last game, 92-87, at BankersLife Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, and have won the last two games overall, including a victory in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
MSU's last win in the series was a 79-73 win in the 2015 Champions Classic in Chicago behind a triple-double from Denzel Valentine (29 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists).

Men’s Basketball Opens Season on Tuesday against No. 3 Kansas in Champions Classic

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Marcus Bingham Jr.

Gabe Brown

Max Christie

Malik Hall

Joey Hauser

A.J. Hoggard

Men’s Basketball Opens Season on Tuesday against No. 3 Kansas in Champions Classic

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Marcus Bingham Jr.

Gabe Brown

Max Christie

Malik Hall

Joey Hauser

A.J. Hoggard

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