No. 17 Michigan State Faces No. 12 Kentucky on Tuesday Night in Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State's men's basketball team hits the road for the first time this season, traveling to New York City to play No. 12 Kentucky in the Champions Classic on Tuesday, Nov. 18 (6:30 p.m.) at the World's Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden.

The game will be streamed on ESPN, with Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas and Kris Budden calling all of the action. The Spartan Media Network radio call can be heard state-wide and on the web at MSUSpartans.com, with Will Tieman handling the play-by-play, Matt Steigenga serving as the color analyst and Zach Surdenik as the studio host. The game can also be heard on channels 106 or 195 on SiriusXM or on the SiriusXM app.

About the Spartans

Michigan State finished the 2024-25 season with a 30-7 overall record, including a 17-3 mark in the Big Ten Conference, winning the league's regular season title by three games.
The Spartans are replacing three starters and four letterwinners who accounted for 63.5 percent of the team's scoring last year, 41.8 percent of the team's rebounds and 52.3 percent of the team's assists … Notable losses included guards Jaden Akins (All-Big Ten Third Team, All-Defensive Team) and Jase Richardson (All-Big Ten Third Team, All-Freshman Team).
The cupboard is not bare, by any stretch, as the team returns captains, junior forward Coen Carr, senior center Carson Cooper, redshirt sophomore point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. and senior forward Jaxon Kohler, a quartet that has combined for more than 300 games played at MSU.
Through three games, the Spartans have five players scoring in double figures and eight players averaging at least 13 players averaging at least 13 minutes per game.
Kohler leads the team with 14.3 points per game and 13.3 rebounds, which is tops among all players in the Big Ten ... Kohler, who has two double-doubles, grabbed 18 rebounds against San Jose State, the most by an MSU player since Miles Bridges had 21 against Savannah State in 2018.
Fears, who leads the team with 33.0 minutes played, is fourth on the team with 11.0 ppg and is handing out 9.3 assists per game, leading the Big Ten Conference.
Carr, one of the most athletic players in all of college basketball, is third on the team with 11.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 3.3 apg (and 3 blocks) in 29.3 mpg.
Cooper is playing a career-high 25.3 minutes, is second on the team with 12.0 ppg and third with 6.0 rpg.
Sophomore guard Kur Teng, who scored 10 points against San Jose State, is averaging 5.3 points.
Freshmen forward Cam Ward is fifth on the team with 10.0 ppg, second with 6.0 rpg and classmate Jordan Scott, who is fifth on the team in minutes per game at 18.7, is averaging 4.0 ppg and 4.3 rpg.
The Spartans played a pair of exhibition games ahead of the season opener, beating Bowling Green, 75-66, at home on Oct. 23, before falling to preseason No. 4 UConn, 76-69, on Tuesday in Connecticut.

The Champions Classic

Michigan State is 5-9 all-time in the Champions Classic.
In last year's Champions Classic at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Michigan State lost to then-No. 1 Kansas, 77-69, with Frankie Fidler leading the Spartans (15 points).
Kansas has a 9-5 record all-time in the Champions Classic, Duke is 8-6 and Kentucky has a 6-8 record.

About Kentucky

Kentucky enters the game on Tuesday night with a 3-1 overall record following a 99-53 win over Eastern Illinois on Friday night.
The Wildcats, under the direction of second-year head coach Mark Pope, were picked to finish in second in the Southeastern Conference and are coming off a 24-12 record and a Sweet 16 appearance in 2024-25.
The Wildcats have players scoring in double figures, led by senior transfer Denzel Aberdeen (Florida), who is averaging 15.3 ppg.
Senior guard Otega Oweh, who was the SEC's pick for Preseason Player of the Year, is second on the team with 13.0 ppg … Junior forward Mouhamed Dioubate is third on the team with 12.0 ppg and has connected on 67.9 percent of his field goals (19-of-28).

Against the Spartans

Michigan State and Kentucky meet for the 27th time in program history on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
Kentucky leads the head-to-head series, 14-12, including a 2-2 mark in Champions Classic games.
The Spartans have won three of the last five meetings, including an 86-77 double overtime win on Nov. 15, 2022 at the Champions Classic in Indianapolis, and five of the last eight overall.

At The World's Most Famous Arena

Michigan State is 5-16 all-time at Madison Square Garden, including 5-13 under Head Coach Tom Izzo at MSG.
In the team's last trip to MSU, the Spartans beat Rutgers, 81-74, on Jan. 25, 2025.
MSU played two games in 2022-23 at MSG, falling to Rutgers 61-55, and an overtime loss to Kansas State in the Sweet 16.
In 2021-22, MSU lost to then-No. 3 Kansas, 87-74, and in 2019-20, fell to then-No. 2 Kentucky, 69-62 (both in the Champions Classic).
The Spartans split a pair of games in the 2018 Big Ten Tournament, beating Wisconsin, 63-60, and losing to Michigan, 75-64, in the semifinals ... In 2016, MSU lost to Kentucky, 69-48, at the Champions Classic.
Michigan State split a pair of games in the 2014 East Regional, defeating No. 3 Virginia 61-59, before falling to eventual National Champion UConn, 60-54, in the regional finals.
Earlier that season, MSU lost to Georgetown, 64-60 ... MSU fell to Duke, 74-69, in the 2011 Champions Classic.
In 2010, Syracuse defeated MSU, 72-58, in the Jimmy V Classic.
The Spartans split games at the 2006 College Hoops Classic, beating a Texas squad featuring Kevin Durant (63-61) and falling to Maryland (62-60).
MSU's other win at the Garden was a 77-70 victory over Boston College in the 2005 Jimmy V Classic.

No. 17 Michigan State Faces No. 12 Kentucky on Tuesday Night in Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jaden Akins

Coen Carr

Carson Cooper

Jeremy Fears Jr.

Frankie Fidler

Jaxon Kohler

Jase Richardson

Jordan Scott

Kur Teng

Cam Ward

No. 17 Michigan State Faces No. 12 Kentucky on Tuesday Night in Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden

Related News

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jaden Akins

Coen Carr

Carson Cooper

Jeremy Fears Jr.

Frankie Fidler

Jaxon Kohler

Jase Richardson

Jordan Scott

Kur Teng

Cam Ward

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