Kentucky is looking to bounce back after their loss to Louisville, and Tuesday night’s matchup against Michigan State in the Champions Classic is the perfect opportunity. Oddsmakers at BetMGM have the No. 12 Wildcats favored by 5.5 points over the No. 17 Spartans, with a total of 154.5 points projected.
The Wildcats are coming off a dominant 46-point win over Eastern Illinois, improving their record to 3-1. Michigan State, meanwhile, has only played once last week, defeating San Jose State 79-60. This will be the Spartans’ first game away from Lansing this season. Under Tom Izzo, Michigan State started strong with an 80-69 win over Colgate and a close 69-66 victory over John Calipari’s Arkansas squad.
KenPom predicts a Kentucky win by six (79-73), while Bart Torvik is slightly closer at 76-74. ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives Kentucky a 77.8% chance to come out on top. Kentucky is currently 2-2 against the spread this season and has gone over the point total in three of four games. Michigan State is 1-2 against the spread and has gone under the total in two of three games.
Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden, and the game will air on ESPN with Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, and Kris Budden calling the action. College Gameday will air live at 6 p.m. ET from the Garden, featuring Rece Davis, Jay Bilas, Seth Greenberg, Jay Williams, and Andraya Carter. Fans can also follow the action on the KSR LIVE BLOG and local radio outlets including 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP, and 98.1 WBUL.
For those wanting extra coverage, KSR+ offers bonus content including detailed game threads, scouting reports, and recruiting intel for just $1 for the first week.
