The Michigan State Spartans will take on the No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks in the Champions Classic in Atlanta, Ga., later this evening. 

The Spartans and Jayhawks are the early match-up of the four blue bloods who compete in this early season series, with the Kentucky Wildcats and Duke Blue Devils set to face off at the conclusion of Michigan State-Kansas. 

As Coach Bill Self often does, the Jayhawks have an impressive squad. They feature preseason All-American Hunter Dickinson, formerly of the Michigan Wolverines. They also have experienced players like point guard Dajuan Harris Jr. and guard Zeke Mayo. 

It will take everything Tom Izzo’s team has to pull off this upset. 

So, which players must step up and lead the Spartans to victory? 

Let’s identify three players who must rise to the occasion. 

Forward Frankie Fidler – In Michigan State’s first two games, Fidler has not had the shooting performance Spartan fans expected from the Omaha transfer. 

Fidler is averaging 10.0 points per game on 35.7 percent shooting from the field and just 20.0 from 3-point range. The Spartans brought in Fidler to be a marksman from the outside, which has not come to fruition so far. 

Michigan State will need Fidler to find his range in this game if it wants to pick up its second Champions Classic victory since 2022. 

Forward Xavier Booker – Booker has not exploded onto the scene in his sophomore season yet, so now is as good a time as any for him to make the second-year leap. 

Booker has struggled to shoot the ball in the Spartans’ first two games, not looking confident in his decision-making on offense. That will need to change if Michigan State wants to have any chance to pull off an upset against the top-ranked Jayhawks. 

Booker has all the talent in the world. He can shoot the 3-ball well and defend in space and at the rim. He has NBA talent if he can put it all together, and it would certainly help Michigan State if he made that happen tonight. 

Guard Tre Holloman – The junior will face some tough guard competition, so the defensive-minded, scrappy Holloman must rise to the occasion. 

Holloman struggled in the first game of the season against Monmouth but bounced back against Niagara. Izzo expects Holloman to be a major contributor this year due to his experience and versatility on both ends. 

Holloman’s skill set will be a major X-factor in determining whether or not the Spartans can pull off this upset. 

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