Tag: Champions Classic

The Champions Classic apparently featured a basketball the players don’t usually play with

This would explain a lot of the poor shooting we saw in the Champions Classic

Last night in the Champions Classic, we saw Michigan State shoot 12-percent from three, Duke shoot 17-percent, and Kansas shoot 29-percent. According to Matt Jones of Ky Sports Radio, this could have been due to the use of a Spalding basketball in the games that teams don’t usually play with.

Even more interesting, Jones said that Kansas, who shot 40-percent from three last night, practiced with the Spalding ball all week. It seems like that foresight and practice paid off.

So, for Michigan State fans who are doom and gloom after watching the team shoot so poorly from three, there may have been some other factors in that. That being said, MSU hasn’t really shot well in any of their games this year, so take it with a grain of salt.

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Michigan State basketball falls to Kansas in the Champions Classic

Michigan State goes ice cold and drops their Champions Classic match-up against Kansas

Michigan State basketball participated in the Champions Classic on Tuesday night with a match-up against Kansas. Unfortunately, the Spartans went ice cold from the floor and fell to the Jayhawks 77 to 69.

Honestly, it’s actually impressive that MSU only lost by 8. I know no one wants a moral victory after a frustrating loss, but Michigan State shot 3-for-24 from three on the night but still annoyed Kansas and hung around against the No. 1 ranked team in the country.

Frankie Fidler and Jaxon Kohler led the way in scoring for MSU, with 15 and 12 points respectively. For Kansas, Hunter Dickinson dropped 28 points.

This was a tough game for Jaden Akins as it looked like Kansas was determined to make his life miserable all night and force other players to beat them. He only had two points on the night, but, in his defense, the Jayhawks were very focused on him specifically.

Michigan State will have a chance to get back in the winning column on Saturday when they play Bowling Green.

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Champions Classic renewed through 2028-29 basketball season

The Champions Classic has been renewed through the 2028-29 season

The Champions Classic will continue. The annual event that features Michigan State, Duke, Kentucky, and Kansas in revolving match-ups has been renewed through the 2028-29 basketball season.

The news came the day of this year’s event, which included MSU vs. Kansas. Next year, the Spartans are scheduled to play Kentucky. This year, MSU was given some grief from fans of other teams for their inclusion in the event. This writer’s opinion is that this criticism is ridiculous.

John Fanta of CBB on Fox reported the news.

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Tom Izzo talks importance of Champions Classic, previews matchup vs. Kansas

Watch Tom Izzo preview Tuesday night’s matchup against Kansas in the Champions Classic

Playing in the Champions Classic is still a big deal for Michigan State basketball head coach Tom Izzo.

For the 14th time, Michigan State will play in the Champions Classic on Tuesday evening, with this year’s matchup for the Spartans against No. 1 Kansas. Michigan State is one of four teams to annually play in this event, with Kentucky, Kansas and Duke being the other three.

Izzo previewed the matchup with the Jayhawks during a Monday press conference, and touched on the importance of this event. He said how it’s a privilege to be part of this event and is excited about the opportunity to play Kansas on Tuesday.

Michigan State comes into this matchup with a 2-0 record after a pair of blowout wins over subpar competition in the opening week of the season. Kansas is also 2-0 on the year, but has a much more impressive resume that includes a win over top 10 foe North Carolina.

Watch Izzo preview the upcoming matchup against Kansas on Tuesday night in the video below.

This video is courtesy of SpartanMag

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Quotes: Tom Izzo surprisingly optimistic following Michigan State basketball’s loss to Duke

Quotes from Tom Izzo following Michigan State basketball’s loss to Duke

It ended up being a close game, but Michigan State basketball fell to 1 and 2 on the season on Tuesday night as the Spartans fell to Duke in the Champions’ Classic.

There was some good in this one, along with some bad, and it was a frustrating one given a steep free throw disparity, along with more poor shooting and another slow start.

After the game, Tom Izzo spoke to the media to talk about what he saw from his team in tonight’s loss. Izzo was surprisingly optimistic following the loss and seems to still be just has high on his team now as he was before the season and sees improvements on the court and good things ahead for this group.

Offensive woes cost Michigan State basketball against Duke in Champions Classic

MSU drops Champions Classic matchup against Duke

Michigan State dropped its Champions Classic matchup against Duke on Tuesday night, 74-65.

Michigan State was hindered by its shooting woes and a slow offensive first half once again, only shooting 2-for-13 from 3 in the first half, en route to a 31-20 halftime deficit.

A new, better looking team showed up in the second half for the Spartans, where the Spartans continued to push Duke, trimming the lead to three and four on several occasions, but the Blue Devils continued to push the Spartans away.

The Spartans outscored the Blue Devils in the second half, 45-43.

On a positive note, Malik Hall looked like his old self once again, playing really strong defense while scoring 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Tyson Walker led the way for MSU with 22 points, while Jaden Akins added 11 points and 8 rebounds.

MSU will look to bounce back Friday, at home against Butler.

MSU Basketball vs. Duke: Stream, broadcast info, prediction for Tuesday

Check out all of the key game details for this matchup between the Spartans and Blue Devils

It’s time for us to really see what the Spartans are made of.

Two of the game’s best programs — Duke and Michigan State — will link up in the annual Champions Classic event on Tuesday night. This will be the first game of the night, with Kentucky-Kansas following afterwards.

Michigan State got off to a rocky start last week to open the 2023-24 season with a stunning loss to James Madison. The Spartans bounced back for their first win of the year vs. Southern Indiana, and now things will get much tougher with Duke next up for Michigan State.

Duke also enters this matchup 1-1 with a home loss to Arizona as their blemish. The Blue Devils, like the Spartans, opened the season in the top five nationally and will look to avoid a second straight loss on Tuesday night.

Check out all of the key game details for this matchup between the Spartans and Blue Devils below:

Michigan State basketball: 2024 Champions Classic details released

Ahead of tonight’s Champions Classic, ESPN has released the details for the 2024 Champions Classic:

Michigan State is set to face Duke in the 2023 Champions Classic in Chicago tonight at 7 p.m., but before that game could happen, details for the 2024 Champions Classic have been released.

In 2024, the games will be headed south to Atlanta, where Michigan State will take on Kansas, and Kentucky will take on Duke. The games will take place on November 12th.

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Twitter reactions to Michigan State basketball’s thrilling win over Kentucky

The best Twitter reactions to Michigan State’s thrilling win over Kentucky

Michigan State basketball was able to redeem a heartbreaking loss to No. 2 Gonzaga on Friday with a stunning, double overtime victory over No. 4 Kentucky in the Champions Classic on Tuesday on a huge national stage.

Of course, the win had social media buzzing, and you can see some of those reactions below.

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Best pictures from Michigan State basketball’s thrilling win over Kentucky in the Champions Classic

Best pictures from Michigan State’s thrilling win over Kentucky in the Champions Classic

Michigan State basketball played Gonzaga close on Friday but came up short. That was not the case on Tuesday, when the Spartans played Kentucky and managed to upset the Wildcats in the Champion’s Classic for a huge win against the No. 4 ranked team in the country.

Below, you can find the best pictures from a thrilling night in Indianapolis.

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