EAST LANSING – Michigan State men’s basketball hasn’t overcome Kansas since the 2015 State Farm Champions Classic.
Denzel Valentine led No. 13 MSU to overcome No. 4 Kansas, 79-73, with a triple-double (29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists). In 2024, unranked MSU is taking on No. 1 Kansas in the Champions Classic on Tuesday night.
The Spartans stand at 2-0 after hosting Monmouth and Niagara. Senior guard Jaden Akins led against Monmouth with 23 points to tie his career-high and junior forward Jaxon Kohler led against Niagara with a double-double posting career-highs of 20 points and 13 rebounds.
MSU has been having a slow heat-up in its first two games from behind the arc. Against Monmouth, they put up a 16.7 three-point percentage, and against Niagara, they improved to a 33.3 three-point percentage.
The Spartans won the rebound battles in their first two non-conference match-ups, putting up 48 against the Hawks and 45 against the Purple Eagles.
Scouting Kansas
The Jayhawks hold the fourth-longest win streak for the No. 1 team in the Associated Press Top 25 era with 47. They are coming off a 92-89 win over No. 9 North Carolina. The Tar Heels knocked the Spartans out of the NCAA Tournament last season in the second round.
Transfer senior guard Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State) led Kansas in points with 21. Graduate center Hunter Dickinson followed with 20 points and put up a double-double with 10 rebounds.
Dickinson is a familiar face to MSU. Before Kansas, Dickinson was with MSU’s in-state rival Michigan where he averaged 17.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists over three seasons.
Mayo is joined by two more transfers this season. Junior guard Rylan Griffen (Alabama) and junior guard A.J. Storr (Wisconsin).
Griffen put up six points, one rebound and two blocks versus UNC. Storr had 13 points, two rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Freshman forward Flory Bidunga is also worth highlighting who racked up eight points, eight rebounds and one block against the Tar Heels.
Last Time Out
The last time MSU and Kansas went head-to-head was the 2021 Champions Classic in New York where No. 4 Kansas won 87-74. The Jayhawks lead the all-time series 8-7, 2-2 in the Champions Classic. The Spartans are 5-22 all-time against teams ranked No. 1 in the AP poll.
Tip-off for this Champions Classic match-up is set for 6:30 p.m. from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Tune into the live radio broadcast featuring Matt Merrifield and Allie Cohen locally on 88.9 FM or at impact89fm.org/listen-live/.
