Last week, we started our offseason series of ranking the best Michigan men’s basketball players since the first time the Wolverines won a national championship back in 1989 to celebrate a 37-year history of Michigan basketball between titles. Today, we look at the next tier up, and it’s a significant one from our scoring model from a batch of already quality list of players in the first rendition of this series.
Michigan
Kansas basketball vs Michigan State live score updates, highlights, how to watch Champions Classic
Can the UConn Huskies three-peat in a stacked men’s college basketball field?
Dan Hurley turned down NBA coaching offers to lead the UConn Huskies on a journey for three straight titles, but a stacked field of teams stand in their way.
Sports Seriously
The 2024-25 men’s college basketball season began last Monday with a slew of games. For many across the country, though, their attention won’t be fixed on the sport until Tuesday night, when four of the best, most consistently successful programs in the country square off against one another.
The 2024 Champions Classic will tip off at State Farm Arena in Atlanta with No. 1 Kansas taking on Michigan State, a matchup that will be followed later in the night by a game between No. 6 Duke and No. 18 Kentucky.
The Jayhawks entered the season as the No. 1 team in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and remained there after an undefeated first week that was finished off by a 92-89 victory against then-No. 10 North Carolina inside a raucous Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas. Coach Bill Self’s team led by as many as 20 before squandering the lead late and rallying for the win.
Kansas will face yet another test on Tuesday against the Spartans, who are ranked outside of the top 25 of the Coaches Poll, but have won at least 20 games in 12 consecutive full seasons. Tom Izzo’s team is also off to a 2-0 start after being picked to finish fifth in the preseason the newly reconfigured 18-team Big Ten.
Follow along here for the live score, updates, highlights and more from Kansas vs. Michigan State basketball in the Champions Classic:
Kansas basketball vs Michigan State score updates
| TEAMS | 1H | 2H | F |
| KANSAS | |||
| MICHIGAN STATE |
Kansas vs Michigan State live updates
Updates will begin close to 6:30 p.m. ET tip-off.
Pregame
The three referees working Tuesday night’s game in Atlanta between Kansas and Michigan State are Keith Kimble, Paul Szelc and Tony Padilla.
Here’s a look at the starting lineups Tuesday night for the Jayhawks and Spartans, according to the StatBroadcast feed:
Kansas
- G Dajuan Harris Jr.
- G Zeke Mayo
- G Rylan Griffen
- F KJ Adams
- C Hunter Dickinson
Michigan State
- G Jeremy Fears Jr.
- G Jaden Akins
- F Frankie Fidler
- F Xavier Booker
- C Szymon Zapala
What channel is Kansas vs Michigan State on today?
Kansas’ game against Michigan State will air on ESPN, with Dan Shulman (play-by-play) and Jay Bilas (analyst) on the call, while Jess Sims serves as the floor reporter. Streaming options include watch ESPN and Fubo, which offers a free trial.
Watch Kansas vs Michigan State in the Champions Classic with Fubo (free trial)
Kansas vs Michigan State history
- Series record: Series tied 5-5
- Kansas’ last win: 2021 (Kansas 87, Michigan State 74)
- Michigan State’s last win: 2015 (Michigan State 79, Kansas 73)
Kansas vs Michigan State predictions
Graham Couch, Lansing State Journal: Kansas 83, Michigan State 74
“It’s hard for me to imagine MSU winning this game unless the 3-point shots start to fall in a big way. We’re going to find out how ready this group is to compete at a Final Four-type level. Because unlike some years when MSU has beaten what’s turned out to be a disappointing Kentucky or Duke team at the Champions Classic, this Kansas squad is unquestionably a legitimate contender.”
Kansas vs Michigan State betting odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Monday, Nov. 11
- Moneyline: Kansas -250 | Michigan State +195
- Spread: Kansas (-5.5)
- Over/under: 150.5 points
Michigan State basketball schedule 2024-25
Here’s a look at the Spartans’ November 2024-25 schedule, including available start times. For the full schedule, click here.
All times ET
- Monday, Nov. 4: vs. Monmouth (W, 85-67)
- Friday, Nov. 8: vs. Niagara (W, 96-60)
- Tuesday, Nov. 12: vs. Kansas, Champions Classic, 6:30 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 16: vs. Bowling Green, 6 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 19: vs. Samford, 8 p.m.
- Monday, Nov. 25: vs. Colorado, 5 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 26: vs. UConn/Memphis, TBA
- Wednesday, Nov. 27: vs. UNC/Dayton/Iowa State/Auburn, TBA
Kansas basketball schedule 2024-25
Here’s a look at the Jayhawks’ November 2024-25 schedule, including available start times. For the full schedule, click here.
All times ET
- Monday, Nov. 4: vs. Howard (W, 87-57)
- Saturday, Nov. 9: vs. North Carolina (W, 92-89)
- Tuesday, Nov. 12: vs. Michigan State, Champions Classic, 6:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 19: vs. UNC-Wilmington, 8 p.m.
- Tuesday, Nov. 26: vs. Duke, Vegas Showdown, 8 p.m
- Saturday, Nov. 30: vs. Furman, TBA
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No. 22 – F Morez Johnson Jr. – Score: 78.4
The first player from Michigan’s 2025-26 team has made it on the list, and it’s the bodyguard himself, Morez Johnson Jr. His stint in Ann Arbor was short, but impactful. After transferring in from Illinois, he found his way into a starting lineup with two other players 6-foot-9 or taller in Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara. The trio wreaked havoc all season long thanks to their length and athleticism in a scheme tailor-made by head coach Dusty May.
Johnson was one of the most efficient players in the country, averaging 13.1 points per game on a 62.3 percent clip. He also led the team with 7.3 rebounds per game and was commonly considered one of the best defensive players on the floor with his ability to guard all five positions. He was a Second-Team All-Big Ten and was on the All-Big Ten Defensive Team as well.
No. 21 – F Deshawn Sims – Score: 78.9
In the transition from Tommy Amaker to John Beilein, Deshawn Sims was a part of a special group that propelled the program to relevancy again. Sims was the 19th player in program history to reach 1,500 career points, and the 15th to surpass 700 rebounds. Consistency was key, as he played in 129 consecutive games over four seasons, starting 92 of them.
Everything came together for the Wolverines in the 2008-09 season when Sims and co-star Manny Harris led the team to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in more than a decade. The team underperformed in 2009-10, but Sims’ play stayed consistent.
Along with the elite company Sims established with his longevity, he was also a three-time All-Big Ten honoree and averaged 16.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game over his final two seasons.
No. 20 – F Ray Jackson – Score: 81.6
Not only did we have the introduction to the 2026 championship team, but this stretch also introduces us to the Fab Five with forward Ray Jackson, the final member of the historic 1991 class.
Jackson not only has the pedigree tied to the culture that surrounded the Fab Five and their two runner-up finishes in the NCAA Tournament, but he was also a great player. One could argue he was the most unheralded of the bunch and deserves more credit than he does. Somehow, he was only a two-time All-Big Ten performer, but he averaged 17.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in his final three seasons with the program.
He ascended from the last of the Fab Five to a premier Big Ten player during his four-year career, helping guide Maurice Taylor — an honorable mention in this series — to being a member of the All-Big Ten freshman team when Jackson was a senior.
Jackson’s impact was profound, not just for his role in the Fab Five but for the transition out of it with future players who had impossible shoes to fill. The Wolverines not only stayed afloat, but remained tournament teams in the years following, which would have meant more had that era not been tarnished with “scandal” for a fraction of what is being done today in the NIL world.
- The Top 25 Michigan men’s basketball players since 1989: No. 25-23
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As temperatures rise in Michigan each summer, so to do the chances of harmful algal blooms (HABs) developing in our lakes, causing a risk to both ecosystems and public health.
HABs are formed wherever there is rapid growth of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, which are naturally found in lakes, rivers and ponds. Some cyanobacteria found in blooms contain toxins that can be harmful to people and animals, and often present as blue-green, yellow or brown streaks, foam, or thick paint-like scums on the water surface, according to the Michigan Departments of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)
To help keep track of these harmful algal blooms across the state, EGLE has teamed up with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to update its online reporting form to include harmful algal blooms. Now the public can easily report suspected HABs to the state by filling out the form at Michigan.gov/HABs. Individuals can also make a report by calling EGLE’s Environmental Assistance Center at 800-662-9278.
“This new online form is an easy and efficient way for Michiganders to help monitor and safeguard our water resources,” said Jerrod Sanders, director of Water Resources Division at EGLE, in a news release. “This tool improves efficiency and helps us respond to potential risks more effectively.”
It will also allow EGLE and MDHHS staff to better understand how HABs develop, and creates the potential to send out public notifications about what areas to avoid as a way of keeping people and pets safe when they’re detected.
Breathing in or swallowing water with HAB toxins can cause asthma-like symptoms, difficulty breathing, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, runny eyes and nose, weakness, headaches or dizziness. Skin contact can also cause rashes, blisters or hives.
“If you had contact with or swallowed water with a suspected HAB and feel sick, call your health care provider or seek medical attention as soon as possible,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive.
Locations of HAB reports verified by EGLE and results of cyanotoxin testing will be displayed on the Michigan Harmful Algal Bloom Reports Map for the public to review.
For more information on health effects, causes and reports on the occurrence of HABs in Michigan lakes, visit Michigan.gov/HABs.
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