A clash of styles at Madison Square Garden

MSU’s stout defense will take an early-season test against Kentucky’s high-powered offense on Nov. 18 at Madison Square Garden as part of the State Farm Champions Classic.

Both teams enter the game coming off decisive wins with the Wildcats easily handling Eastern Illinois 99-53 and the Spartans beating San Jose State 79-60.

Despite the win, Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo was not pleased with his team’s performance due to a flat second half effort and missed free throws.

“Coming out of the half I had three guys who played good games according to you, the fans, their mommies, their daddies, and their agents, but they didn’t have a good game for me,” said Izzo.

The Spartans were 25-point favorites against San Jose State but allowed them to remain competitive in a game that should’ve been a blowout win.

San Jose eventually cut the Spartans’ 20-point lead to 10 late in the second half but MSU rallied late to close the game.

Izzo has been highly critical of his team because they display habits that could lead to losses against the best teams in the nation. The Spartans will have to correct those habits against a talented Kentucky team that scores 92.8 points per game.

“If we play like this (against Kentucky), we’ll get killed. If you think that’s coach speak, I don’t care. Look me in the eyes, if we play like that Tuesday, we are going to get killed.”

Offense vs. Defense

The Wildcats’ high-powered offense consists of five players averaging over 10 points per game with senior guard Denzel Aberdeen(15.3 PPG) leading the way.

Kentucky also has four additional players who average at least seven points per game. For comparison, MSU has five players averaging at least 10 points per game while the remaining players average under six points per game.

This game will be a clash of styles as the Wildcats’ athletic and deep offense will face the physical and disciplined Spartans defense.

Defense is the Spartans’ calling card as they’ve held all opponents to under 70 points this season. The physical frontcourt which locks down the paint consists of senior forward Jaxon Kohler, senior center Carson Cooper and junior forward Coen Carr.

Senior guard Jeremy Fears Jr. is a solid defender on the perimeter with quick hands, tallying two steals per game.

The Wildcats have a team full of scorers but they’ve yet to face a team as physical and defensively sound as the Spartans.

Spartans’ Scoring Issues

The Spartans’ defense can be counted on to show up consistently but the Spartans are still searching for consistent offense. MSU averages 76 points per game which is third-worst in the Big Ten Conference.

The Spartans can rely on Fears, Carr, Kohler and Cooper to play the most minutes and do most of the scoring but there needs to be a scoring threat from the shooting-guard position.

So far, Izzo has started sophomore Kur Teng and senior Trey Fort at the position but neither had much success as a scoring option.

In order for the Spartans to have a chance in this game, one of them must emerge as a solid scoring option in this game.

MSU should run the fast-break as much as possible to maximize the amount of shots near the rim. Frequent fast breaks would also be indicative of defensive success.

The Spartans will have to deal with Kentucky’s solid defense as well which 64.8 PPG to opponents.

Historically Close Matchup

Kentucky holds a narrow 14-12 lead over Michigan State in their overall series history, while the teams have split their four previous head-to-head meetings in the Champions Classic. The most recent meeting was a 2022 Champions Classic game where Michigan State won 86-77 in double overtime.