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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Beating the league’s best team is no easy feat. However, the Denver Broncos‘ Week 10 performance against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs showcased how Bo Nix and the defense have shown the resolve to thrive under pressure and compete with the best.

The Broncos are proving they can go toe-to-toe with any opponent in the league. But how exactly have the Broncos taken strides to deliver what the fanbase yearned for?

Let’s examine.

The Broncos defense came into Arrowhead Stadium with one mission: disrupt Mahomes’ rhythm and bring Kansas City’s high-powered offense to a screeching halt — a mission it performed quite well. Denver tallied four sacks, nine quarterback hits, and held the Chiefs to a meager 300 total yards — their lowest yardage output of the season. 

Defensive end Zach Allen and rush linebacker Nik Bonitto had the most significant impact in this contest. Allen used his ability to collapse the pocket, and Bonitto was a nightmare off the edge with his speed rush.

While Allen and Bonitto had stand-out games, it was a team effort, as Mahomes dealt with pressure from practically every player on Denver’s defensive front.

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While Denver is coming off a heartbreaking loss, the Broncos’ young gunslinger refuses to hang his head and is confident they can square off with the league’s best teams. When asked whether the Broncos could build any confidence in the wake of this disappointing loss, Nix said, “Oh, yeah. We’re very confident. We feel we can compete against a lot of teams in this league, all of them, really. We’ve faced a lot of good teams this year and have been in one-possession games, it feels like, in every single one of them.”

This game showed Nix’s ability to perform in the most crucial moments, especially that huge third-down conversion at the end of the game, connecting with Courtland Sutton to ensure Mahomes wouldn’t see the field again. Finishing with 215 yards passing and two touchdowns, Nix showed he could go up against the league’s top teams while remaining poised in critical in-game situations.

Denver’s running game has been inconsistent, to say the least. While Javonte Williams has had a couple of good games, the rest have been relatively lackluster.

Rookie fifth-rounder Audrice Estime was supposed to compete with Williams for carries this season. Unfortunately, injuries and ball-security issues temporarily delayed Estime’s involvement in the offense. Even so, Sean Payton refuses to give up on him.

“We keep wanting to get him involved,” Payton said. “He is a handful.” 

While Estime didn’t pop off for a 100-yard game, he did have some impressive, hard-nosed carries that sadly reminded Broncos Country of Williams before his multi-ligament knee injury. If Estime can build on his last performance and, more importantly, hold on to the ball, he has a serious chance of locking up the starting job.

Denver’s recent performance against the Chiefs showcased a team on the rise. Despite the narrow loss, the Broncos demonstrated that with their elite defense and offensive potential, they can play with anyone in the league.

While still a work in progress, the Broncos are trending in the right direction, building a foundation that could make them a force for years to come.

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Just a week into the college basketball season, and Kansas basketball stars Hunter Dickinson and Zeke Mayo are already snagging some early-season honors.

On Monday, the Big 12 handed out its weekly awards, with Dickinson being named Player of the Week and Mayo sharing Co-Newcomer of the Week—recognition well-earned after both players helped Kansas keep its No. 1 ranking.

Dickinson, the preseason favorite for Big 12 Player of the Year, put up solid numbers, averaging 18 points and 8 rebounds as the Jayhawks cruised to a 2-0 start. His big moment came in Kansas’s intense 92-89 win over No. 9 North Carolina, where he dropped 20 points and 10 rebounds—one of just three 20-10 performances against a ranked team so far this season.

With the game on the line, Dickinson scored the last three points, including a clutch basket and a free throw in the final seconds to secure the win.

Mayo, a senior transfer from South Dakota State, also delivered for Kansas.

In the win over the Tar Heels, Mayo led the team with 21 points, along with five rebounds and four assists. He and Dickinson teamed up for the final seven points of the game, with Mayo’s layup tying it up at the 1:44 mark.

His season opener was a homecoming to remember in Lawrence, where he hit five of eight from beyond the arc to score 19 against Howard.

With the Champions Classic and Michigan State up next, Kansas fans will be counting on these two to keep the momentum going.

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