Michigan State vs Kentucky: 2019-20 College basketball game preview, TV schedule
By Joey Loose
Michigan State and Kentucky begin the season with a prime matchup in the Champions Classic. Which of these national championship contenders will get their season off to a winning start?
TV schedule: Tuesday, November 5, 9:30 pm ET. ESPN
Arena: Madison Square Garden in New York, New York
Fresh off last year’s Final Four run, Michigan State enters the season perhaps as the proverbial favorite for this upcoming season. They’re the top-ranked team in the country and return most of the talent from last year’s team. Looking to build off a 32-7 season, the Spartans will be led by some familiar faces as coach Tom Izzo hunts for his second national title.
After being a First Team All-American, senior guard Cassius Winston (18.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg last year) chose to return the Spartans and will lead a very talented squad. Combining his talents with returning senior guard Joshua Langford (15.0 ppg last year), who fought injury last season, creates perhaps the nation’s best backcourt in the nation. When you factor in junior forward Xavier Tillman (10.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg last year) and the rest of the returning faces, there’s no wonder the expectations are high for Michigan State.
Michigan State will begin the season ranked 1st in KenPom. They sit #1 in preseason offensive efficiency. While it’s all based on projection, this was a top 5 offense last season without Langford for much of the year. The talent of this backcourt cannot be understated.
One of the biggest challenges for the Spartans sits across the court, as Kentucky looks to put together quite a talented team themselves. Last year’s Wildcats *only* went 30-7 and have rebuilt this roster after losing much of their talent. As per usual, John Calipari recruited extremely well and should have this Kentucky team near the top of the college basketball world this season.
Much of last year’s talent is gone, but there are plenty of new faces and old players ready to play a bigger role. Freshmen Tyrese Maxey, Kahlil Whitney, and Keion Brooks Jr. will all play solid minutes for the Wildcats out of the gate. Bucknell grad transfer forward Nate Sestina (15.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg last year) will be a force in the frontcourt, while sophomore guards Ashton Hagans (7.7 ppg, 4.3 apg last year) and Immanuel Quickley (5.2 ppg last year) should play larger roles in their second years with the Wildcats.
Kentucky begins the year #2 in the AP Top 25 and also sits 2nd in the opening KenPom projections. They begin the season topping the country in defensive efficiency, with Sestina expected to play quite a role in their defensive strategy. The Wildcats interior defense has been impressive in recent seasons and looks to produce similar results this year.
For the Spartans, who will not yet have Langford for this game, their physicality and ability to score down low will be important in this matchup. If the Wildcats aren’t able to shut down Winston, then it could be a long night. For those Wildcats, there won’t be room for growing pains with these young freshmen, drawing a really tough matchup right out of the gate. They’re going to need to prove they can score from the outside or Michigan State is going to dominate them on the interior.
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When these teams last played in 2016, Kentucky won a decisive matchup, though things have clearly changed. This Michigan State squad is getting a lot of attention early and this is the best place for them to showcase it. The Wildcats have the talent to make a deep run this season, but they’re going to need to make their shots to begin the year with a win.