Some programs might be content with beginning their seasons with lesser opponents, that’s not the case for the Kansas Jayhawks and Michigan State Spartans who help tip a packed college basketball odds slate on Tuesday.
Tuesday, November 9, 2021 – 07:00 PM EST at Madison Square Garden
Kansas and Michigan State start the 11th installment of the Champions Classic, this one returning to historic Madison Square Garden for a fourth time in the event. The Jayhawks and Spartans are each coming off trips to the NCAA Men’s Tournament last season, Kansas extending its streak to 31-straight dances while Michigan State made its 23rd in a row, but neither really had the type of seasons they’re accustomed to.
The NCAA basketball futures like Kansas to bounce back with a dominating season. The Jayhawks are right there with a half-dozen or so schools expected to be Gonzaga’s top challengers for the championship and are running neck-and-neck with Texas for Big 12 honors. Michigan State is further down the NCAA championship list, and lurking in the shadows behind Michigan and Purdue in the Big Ten race.
Kansas sits third in the two conventional preseason polls, and Michigan State is just outside both rankings at No 26. A quick glance at several of the best online betting sites finds the Jayhawks rocking the chalk as 4.5-point favorites. Scoreboard bettors are faced with a decision on a total that is running 143-143.
Tuesday marks the 15th meeting between the two programs, and the series sits dead-level at 7-7 after Kansas came out on top in the last two matchups. The Jayhawks and Spartans have met three times in the NCAA Tournament, with Kansas winning two of those battles. The most recent March Madness clash came in the second round of the 2017 Midwest Region in Tulsa where the Jayhawks scored a 90-70 decision as 7.5-point favorites.
Kansas also owns a 2-1 advantage in the three Champions Classic contests against Michigan State. The 2018 event in Indianapolis was the last collision between the two, and the Jayhawks scored a 92-87 triumph to just cover the -4.5 spread.
Tom Izzo’s team got off to a nice start last season by winning the first six games, one of those Michigan State victories a 75-69 decision in the Champions Classic over Duke as a small underdog. Things went south from there, however, and the Spartans failed to post a winning Big Ten record for the first time since Izzo came to East Lansing.
Michigan State was bounced in the first round of the conference tourney as the No. 9 seed in the Big Ten and then lost a First Four contest at the NCAA Tournament as an 11-seed, failing to cover the betting odds in either game. The Spartans lost four starters, the biggest subtraction being Aaron Henry who led the team in scoring, rebounds and assists.
Izzo combined a nice recruiting class with solid transfer additions in hopes of reloading for 2021-22. Max Christie is the 5-star recruit who should supply some immediate help for Joey Hauser in the scoring department. Tyson Walker, a transfer from Northeastern, is likely to share the point guard role with returning sophomore AJ Hoggard, at least to begin with. Marcus Bingham Jr. clogs the paint, but can the senior contribute offensively?
While Michigan State bid adios to four starters, Bill Self has four starters returning from a team that won 21 despite having to withdraw from the Big 12 Tournament due to virus protocols. The backcourt is in good shape with senior Ochai Agbaji and junior Christian Braun, and there’s plenty of talent in the frontcourt with senior David McCormack and sophomore Jalen Wilson.
Self-coaxed guards Remy Martin from Arizona State and Joseph Yesufu from Drake to add offense and depth to the backcourt. Martin averaged 19.7 PPG a year ago for the Sun Devils while Yesufu put up 12.8 with the Bulldogs. Kansas attracted some nice incoming freshmen in Zach Clemence and Kyle Cuffe Jr., and Self will be able to work them slowly into the lineup.
Michigan State’s win over Duke at Cameron last November stopped a 4-game losing streak for the Spartans in the Champions Classic. At the time, it looked like the Spartans might be a bit underrated, but we learned that it was really the Blue Devils who were overrated.
Kansas, meanwhile, comes in having won four of its last five games in the event, and my free NCAAB pick is the Jayhawks make it five of six with a cover in this one.
NCAAB Pick: Kansas -4.5 (-112) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.