Kansas vs. Michigan State: 5 biggest questions for 2018 Champions Classic battle

5. Can Cassius Winston take advantage of the freshmen Jayhawk guards?

The biggest reason why Kansas is No. 1 to start out the season is due to the great amount of depth. Even without Silvio De Souza, the Jayhawks can easily go 10+ deep without sacrificing anything.

That’s especially true at the guard line, even without Big 12 Player of the Year Award winner Devonte’ Graham. Three newcomers arrive to compete for the lead ball handler role in Cal transfer Charlie Moore (12.2 ppg as a freshman) and a pair of five-star recruits in Devon Dotson and Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year Quentin Grimes.

That’s a lot if talent but not a lot of experience in comparison to Cassius Winston for Michigan State. The junior has 39 starts in two seasons with the Spartans and had a breakthrough campaign last year. He averaged 12.6 ppg and 6.9 apg while shooting nearly 50% from both the field and from beyond the arc, while also going for 90% from the charity stripe. Winston also has been apart of many high pressure situations in the first half of his career and now becomes the leader for the team.

By judging the other positions, the point guard spot might be the one true area where Michigan State may have a true advantage. Because it’s the first game of the season – and for the college careers for others, nerves and inconsistency can come into play. Those simply weren’t issues for Winston a year ago.

That being said, this is also an area where Kansas could get a decisive advantage if foul trouble comes into play. The Jayhawks have multiple high-level ball handlers that can switch out but the Spartans have just Winston. His backup is Foster Loyer, a four-star freshman recruit. He has potential but would be an instant downgrade to the junior leader. How Winston performs on Tuesday will go a long way towards the outcome.