What to expect when the Spartans face the Jayhawks Tuesday night
The 14th annual Champions Classic tips off Tuesday night at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. In this year’s edition, Michigan State will play Kansas in the first game followed by Kentucky taking on Duke. Three of this year’s teams come into the event ranked in the A.P. Poll, with Kentucky at #23, Duke at #7, and Kansas at #1. MSU is unranked, marking the fourth time they have been so for the annual showcase. The other three schools have been ranked each time. As far as all-time records in the Champions Classic go, Duke and Kansas both sport 8-5 records while MSU and Kentucky are both 5-8.
Michigan State and Kansas both come into this year’s matchup at 2-0 on the young season. MSU has beaten lower-level schools Monmouth and Niagara; Kansa has knocked off Howard and #9 North Carolina. The Jayhawks, as mentioned above, entered the season at the top of the polls. This is a team with loads of talent, both experienced and fresh out of high school.
The prize of Kansas’ 2024 recruiting class is Flory Budinga, a 6’9” center who was the #18 player in his class according to ESPN’s rankings. His college career is off to a nice start as Flory is putting up 10.5 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1.5 blocks in his two games. Oh, and he is scoring on 90% of his shots. Another new player to the Kansas program is senior transfer Zeke Mayo from South Dakota State. So far this season, Zeke is averaging 20 PPG to lead the Jayhawks. On the wing, AJ Storr, another transfer who played for Wisconsin last year, is also a scoring threat. Storr led the Badgers in scoring last season with 16.8 PPG and helped them advance to the final of the Big Ten Tournament. Playing the point for Kansas is Dajuan Harris Jr. Dajuan is in his fifth year in the Jayhawks program and fourth as a starter. He has led Kansas in minutes and assists the past two years and is very much the floor general out there.
Of course, no discussion of Kansas can be complete without mentioning a name very familiar to us Spartans. That of course is hunter dickinson, the former um villain whose greatest achievement so far has been adding fuel to the hatred um receives. In his three years in ann arbor, dickinson went 3-3 against MSU. Last year, his first at Kansas, he was second on the team with 17.9 PPG and also first in rebounds at 10.9. In two games this year, he has 18 and 8 averages.
It is difficult to draw any conclusions about this opponent so early in the season and with so many new pieces, but it goes without saying that MSU will need to play even better than they have in their first two games. While the Spartans are rocking a 30-point average margin of victory, there have been bouts in both games where they have struggled and allowed their opponents to go on runs. That absolutely cannot happen against the Jayhawks. Defensively, I presume Szymon Zapala and Carson Cooper will get the assignment against the 7’2” dickinson. At 7’ and 6’11”, respectively, those two guys will be tasked with preventing the Kansas center from imposing his will in the paint. If those two can avoid fouls (dickinson is a career 72% FT shooter) while disrupting his shots, it will go a long way in keeping MSU in this game.
On the perimeter, I feel good about MSU being able to pester Dajuan Harris Jr. as he tries to conduct their offense as well as keeping Storr and Mayo from catching fire. The MSU backcourt of Jeremy Fears, Jaden Akins, Tre Holloman, and Jase Richardson will have to continue to play active defense yet stay disciplined in Izzo’s system. It’s about staying in front of their man and not giving up easy shots.
Of course, on the other end of the court, MSU is going to have to score points. We have seen some good things in that department so far this season, as four players – Akins, Jaxon Kohler, Richardson, and Frankie Fidler – are averaging double digits. Those four need to have good games on Tuesday night, but MSU will also need another player or two to step up and contribute offensively. It would be most ideal if those guys were named Xavier Booker and Coen Carr, but any two will do.
Of the 26 games in the history of the Champions Classic, only eight have been decided by double digits; 11 have been decided by five or less or have gone to overtime. These games always feature teams with great coaches and high-end talent. Even if MSU is in a relative down year, these games have a tendency to remain highly competitive and tight. The players on the court know there are high stakes, not just for their teams but also for their futures as NBA scouts are in abundance at these matchups. The environment brings the best out of these young men.
This year’s Kansas team probably has four or five future NBA players on it. I feel safe in saying this MSU team has at least two, and maybe as many as four. I am expecting another tough Champions Classic matchup when the Spartans and Jayhawks do battle in Atlanta. It’s game 7 of MSU vs. hunter dickinson. Let’s not let the villain win.
GO GREEN! GO WHITE!