Overview
- Tipoff is 6:30 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden in the Champions Classic, with streaming available via DIRECTV, Fubo, Sling and ESPN’s app.
- Michigan State enters 3-0 with a marquee 69-66 win over Arkansas, while Kentucky is 3-1 after a 99-53 rout of Eastern Illinois led by Mouhamed Dioubate’s 20 points and 11 rebounds.
- The Spartans lean on a physical frontcourt featuring Jaxon Kohler (about 14.3 points and 13.3 rebounds), Coen Carr and Carson Cooper, against a Kentucky backcourt paced by Denzel Aberdeen and Otega Oweh.
- Kentucky guard Jaland Lowe is sidelined with a shoulder injury; ESPN’s broadcast team is Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas and Kris Budden.
- Books list Kentucky by roughly 3.5–4.5 points with a total near 152.5–153.5, and SportsLine’s 10,000-run model projects the Over, while Michigan State leads the series 6-4 after winning the 2022 meeting.