Kansas – Syndication Server

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.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

Hunter Dickinson compliments Tom Izzo, Michigan State basketball after win over Spartans

Michigan State basketball went up against a familiar foe on Tuesday night when Hunter Dickinson and Kansas beat the Spartans in the Champions Classic.

According to reporting from Chris Solari of the Detroit Free Press, Dickinson was complimentary of Tom Izzo after the game, saying he knew Izzo, as a Hall of Famer, would have Michigan State ready for. He also said he thinks MSU will be a top-25 team by the end of the season, but that they aren’t there yet.

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.

Wisconsin transfer guard fouls out of Kansas’ win over Michigan State

Wisconsin transfer guard A.J. Storr was mostly a nonfactor in Kansas’ 77-69 win over Michigan State on Tuesday.

The former Badger fouled out in just 12 minutes of action. He finished with six points on 2-of-5 shooting and 1-of-3 from 3-point range. He added two rebounds and a turnover.

Kansas’ statement win was led again by center Hunter Dickinson. The former Michigan Wolverine finished with 28 points, 12 rebounds and three steals on 13-of-21 shooting. His strong defensive play also helped the Jayhawks hold the Spartans to just 34.8% shooting.

A 12-minute foul-out for AJ Storr tonight.

— Kevin Sweeney (@CBB_Central) November 13, 2024

Storr and the Jayhawks are 3-0 on the young season and still ranked No. 1. The former Badger has season totals of 24 points, six rebounds and five assists over those three games.

Storr’s decision to transfer to Kansas was one of the more notable moments from a busy Wisconsin offseason. Storr and star guard Chucky Hepburn departed via the portal, leaving the Badgers to replace 26 points, 7.2 game and 4.8 assists-per-game of production. That doesn’t even count Tyler Wahl, who the Badgers lost to graduation.

Despite the turnover, Wisconsin boasts a 3-0 mark to begin the 2024-25 campaign. Missouri transfer guard John Tonje has played a big role in the early wins, averaging 17.7 points and 5.3 rebounds on 55% shooting.

Storr’s performance on the No. 1 Jayhawks will continue to be worth monitoring, especially if Tonje continues to excel in a primary role with the Badgers.

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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.

Tom Izzo compares Kansas basketball star to Magic Johnson

Tom Izzo made a lofty comparison for one of Kansas’ top players

Michigan State basketball will face their biggest test of the early part of the season, and possibly the whole year, when they face off against No. 1 ranked Kansas in State Farm Arena on Tuesday night.

Before the game, Tom Izzo spoke to the media for his weekly press conference, and he made a lofty comparison for one of Kansas’ top players.

Izzo said that KJ Adams Jr. is ‘kind of a Magic Johnson’ for all the things he does for the Jayhawks.

This is a pretty apt comparison for Adams. While Adams might not be one of the greatest players of all time like Magic, he is a rare 6-foot-7 player who doesn’t shoot threes, but he does score, rebound, and set up his teammates with assists.

Former Wisconsin transfer helps No. 1 Kansas notch a top-10 win

How AJ Storr performed against North Carolina

Former Wisconsin Badgers transfer A.J. Storr was at the center of No. 1 Kansas’ 92-89 win over No. 9 North Carolina on Friday night.

The former Badger scored 13 points in 27 minutes off the bench, also adding three assists, two rebounds and a steal.

He is now up to 18 total points, four rebounds, five assists and one steal on 44% shooting and 40% from three-point range thus far through two games. His role and shot volume increased significantly from Kansas’ first to second game of the season — 15 minutes to 27 and five field-goal attempts to 13.

Storr transferred to the Jayhawks this offseason after one year with the Badgers. He averaged 28.8 minutes, 16.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.6 steals through that campaign, operating as the team’s primary offensive engine from the start of the season to its conclusion.

His above-the-rim highlight plays have translated to his new program, seen clearly in the first half of Friday’s game:

OH MY OOP 😮‍💨

Diggy ➡️ AJ#PayHeed x @storr_aj pic.twitter.com/RTXX4UqWT7

— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) November 9, 2024

Aside from Storr, Kansas was led by a player Wisconsin fans are likely familiar with: former Michigan center Hunter Dickinson. The longtime Wisconsin rival finished the last-minute victory with 20 points, 10 rebounds and three assists — that tally including the game’s final three points after the score was tied 89-89 with less than 1:30 remaining.

Kansas Jayhawks guard AJ Storr (2) passes to Kansas Jayhawks center Hunter Dickinson (1) in the first half of the game against North Carolina Tar Heels inside Allen Fieldhouse Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Storr, Dickinson and the Jayhawks will remain No. 1 in the AP Poll moving forward. Their next contest is Nov. 12 against a strong Michigan State team.

Wisconsin fans should get used to Storr playing a key role on one of the best teams in college basketball in 2024-25.

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Roy Williams had a perfect reason for not attending Kansas-North Carolina at Allen Fieldhouse

Roy Williams is a man of PRINCIPLE.

Two-time AP Coach of the Year and three-time national champion Roy Williams is currently retired after a long and successful career.

But long before he was the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels for nearly two decades between 2003 and 2021, he led the program for another college basketball juggernaut for the Kansas Jayhawks.

Williams coached Kansas between 1988 and 2003, winning Naismith College Coach of the Year in 1997. He was replaced by Bill Self, who still coaches Kansas.

The two men’s basketball teams are scheduled to play against each other on Friday, 7:00 p.m. ET, in Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. Both teams are currently ranked top-10 in the nation with the Jayhawks at No. 1 overall. So everyone is wondering if Williams will attend the game.

Regarding the biggest story in NC this week, no — Roy Williams will not be in Lawrence Friday night for UNC at Kansas.

Had a long talk with him last night for stories to come.

“There is no way that I can go into Allen Fieldhouse and clap when the other team scores a basket.”

— Andrew Carter (@_andrewcarter) November 4, 2024

According to Andrew Carter, who spoke to Williams, the answer is no.

Williams could not find it in himself to go to Allen Fieldhouse and applaud when the other team scores, even if that other team is the Tar Heels, where he had so much success and experience.

He is clearly a man of principle, which is why he appeared to refuse to cheer for North Carolina State during the March Madness tournament in 2024.

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How Badger transfers A.J. Storr and Chucky Hepburn performed in debuts with new programs

Wisconsin basketball began its 2024-25 campaign with an 85-61 win over Holy Cross on Monday.

The primary story from the Badgers’ opener: Transfer wing John Tonje had a program-best debut with 23 points and five rebounds, including going 3 of 6 from 3-point range and 8 of 8 from the free-throw line.

Tonje’s Wisconsin debut is significant news for Greg Gard and his staff as they work to replace the production of stars A.J. Storr and Chucky Hepburn, who transferred to Kansas and Louisville, respectively, this offseason. That opening performance establishes a comparison point for Tonje that is sure to persist throughout the season — more so with Storr, who plays the same position.

Here is Tonje’s full stat line, and how it compares to how Storr and Hepburn began their respective careers at new programs:

Tonje (85-61 win over Holy Cross): 27 minutes, 23 points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal, 6 of 11 from the floor, 3 of 6 from three, 8 of 8 from the line
Storr (87-57 win over Howard): 15 minutes off the bench, five points, two rebounds, two assists, 2 of 5 from the floor, 1 of 1 from 3
Hepburn (93-45 win over Morehead State): 21 minutes, eight points, one rebound, four assists, 1 of 3 from the floor, 1 of 2 from 3, 5 of 5 from the line

Tonje boasted the best debut of the three on Monday night, although each played in a blowout nonconference win.

He also fared better than Wisconsin’s other transfer additions. Forward Xavier Amos (Northern Illinois) tallied two points, four rebounds and one assist in 11 minutes off the bench. Guard Camren Hunter (Central Arkansas) missed the game with an injury.

Gard and the Badgers had a tough task attempting to replace the top-end production of Hepburn, Storr and forward Tyler Wahl (graduation). Tonje already appears to be a viable replacement, enough that his production may best that of Storr on No. 1 Kansas.

Tonje, Amos and possibly Hunter will return to the court on Thursday when the Badgers host Montana State. Storr and No. 1 Kansas will battle No. 9 North Carolina on Friday. Hepburn and Louisville will host No. 12 Tennessee on Saturday.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion.

Byron leads the way for Cup Series title hopefuls in Kansas

William Byron led the way for NASCAR Cup Series playoff contenders at Kansas Speedway with a runner up finish in the Hollywood Casino 400. Ross Chastain won the race, which means no playoff driver clinched a spot in the postseason’s third round. …

William Byron led the way for NASCAR Cup Series playoff contenders at Kansas Speedway with a runner up finish in the Hollywood Casino 400.

Ross Chastain won the race, which means no playoff driver clinched a spot in the postseason’s third round. Chastain took the lead from the front row on the race’s final restart with 20 laps go. Byron took second place just as quickly, but the Hendrick Motorsports driver couldn’t overcome the leader’s advantage and never got to Chastain’s bumper to mount a challenge.

The difference was “just clean air,” Byron said.

Sunday was his first top-five since mid-August. It was also a career-best finish at Kansas Speedway.

“I feel like he had the restart he needed to,” Byron said. “I was in the second row just trying to clear those guys, and once I got clear of them, my balance was OK — a little bit tight, but kind of inching up on them. I needed probably for it to be a longer run, being in second [place].

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“I wanted that one really bad. It sucks. You’re so close and know going to Talladega what that is. … Proud of the effort. We brought an awesome car. I’m proud of all my guys. They’ve been working their tails off, and we’ve gotten a lot of [crap] over the summer from the outside, and I know how good this team is, and I know what we’re capable of, so this is a great day to build on. … I’m looking forward to Talladega. We’re usually good there, and we’ll just see how that goes.”

Byron had the best average running position of any driver at Kansas — 4.6. He also led 24 laps and earned the most stage points Sunday afternoon (17). By winning the first stage, Byron added a playoff point to his total.

“Yeah, just what we can do,” Byron said of it being a statement race. “We know how important these tracks are and we’re excited to keep building and keep putting weeks together like this. We got off a little bit at times during the race; we were able to get it back and I’m proud of that. We have work to do, but proud of the effort today.”