Tuesday night in New York City will be a unique experience for several Kentucky men’s basketball players. Most of this season’s Wildcats have yet to suit up and play on the hardwood at Madison Square Garden as college athletes, but that will change soon enough when Kentucky clashes with No. 17 Michigan State in the annual Champions Classic (6:30 p.m. ET | ESPN).
For someone like junior forward Mo Dioubate, who hails from Queens, NY, he said he’s already having trouble making sure all his friends and family have tickets for the game. He’s hoping some teammates will be able to offer him some of their extra stubs. Growing up, Dioubate said he attended a couple of New York Knicks games at MSG, but his NBA allegiance stood with Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I can’t wait to play in New York,” Dioubate said after Kentucky’s 99-53 win over Eastern Illinois on Friday. “It’s gonna be my first time playing in New York in my collegiate career. I’m gonna have family and friends come out to watch me. It’s at the Garden. That’s every kid’s dream, to play at the Garden. I’m looking forward to it.”
This game will also serve as a homecoming opportunity for Otega Oweh, a Somerset, NJ, native — about an hour drive from MSG. Oweh (along with all of last season’s returning pieces) already played in this arena last season during the CBS Sports Classic against Ohio State. But we don’t need to bring back those memories…
Other Wildcats outside of Dioubate will also experience the aura of Madison Square Garden for the first time. Denzel Aberdeen has played in (and won) a national championship game, but taking the floor at MSG will be a different kind of feeling for him. “I’ve never played there before,” he said Monday morning. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Like Dioubate, Kam Williams has attended games at MSG before when his older brother, Greg Williams, was playing college ball at St. John’s years ago (2018-21), but he’s yet to be the one on the floor in the action.
“It’s gonna be a full circle moment,” Williams said Friday, adding that his parents plan to make the trip to New York.
Even for freshman center Malachi Moreno, a McDonald’s All-American who has played basketball in New York several times, he’s yet to step foot on the MSG court.
“I’ve been to New York five times, and four out of the five were in the Barclays Center,” Moreno said Monday.
As a lifelong Kentucky fan, Moreno has fond memories of watching the Wildcats compete in the Champions Classic. He remembers Tyrese Maxey‘s explosive 26-point performance against Michigan State at MSG during the 2019-20 season-opener. He also remembers Rob Dillingham hitting four three-pointers in a span of two minutes against Kansas in 2023-24, although that Champions Classic game happened in Chicago.
Regardless, after years of watching Kentucky play in this event from afar, Moreno will be the one participating this time around. It’s a moment that won’t truly hit him until he’s in the building.
“To be honest, I probably won’t comprehend it until I walk into Madison Square Garden,” he said. “That’s a legendary arena. It’s every kid’s dream. It’s like playing in an NBA arena, and then you get to play for Kentucky, as well. It’s the best of both worlds.”
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