NEW YORK– “Go Green, Go White” echoed throughout Madison Square Garden after Kentucky head coach Mark Pope called a timeout down 20 points with five minutes remaining; the timeout served as a white flag and signaled a statement victory for Michigan State in the Champions Classic.
The Spartans outdid Kentucky in every facet of the game in the 83-66 win. This included three-point shooting, which was widely considered an advantage for the Wildcats entering the matchup on Tuesday.
Spartans senior forward Jaxon Kohler led all scorers with 20 points, with a mix of work in the post and he knocked down two three-pointers, which ignited the Spartans’ offense.
“This week in practice we’ve been shooting very well and the key in this game is to have confidence in your shot and I feel like everyone had that,” Kohler said.
The Spartans’ first 12 points came from the perimeter and they matched their season-high total of six makes with 6:51 remaining in the first half.
It was a group effort for the Spartans, the Wildcats rely on their depth of talent, but it was the MSU bench that outscored the Wildcats 34-18.
“And what I’m proudest about with this team, where it’s getting a little bit like last year’s, is that they’re very unselfish,” said Spartans head coach Tom Izzo.
MSU redshirt sophomore guard Jeremy Fears Jr. recorded 13 assists which is a career-high and Champions Classic record. The leading Division I distributor extended his average to 10.3 assists per game.
The point guard also made key plays on the defensive end that stifled the Wildcats’ attempt at a comeback.
“I thought 13 assists was phenomenal, but I thought he took way bigger steps than that, just by how he handled situations,” Izzo said.
It was a breakthrough game for Spartans sophomore guard Kur Teng and redshirt freshman forward Jesse McCulloch off the bench. McCulloch provided eight points including a crucial three-pointer to kill a Kentucky run that cut the deficit to 10 points in the second half. Teng came off the bench to score a career-high 15 points.
Fears Jr. credited the younger players for stepping up on the big stage.
‘Them young guys showed up tonight, and the new guys, shout out Trey Fort, Kur, Jesse,” Fears Jr. said.
The Spartans advance to 4-0 on the season, with two wins over ranked SEC opponents. Expect MSU to climb from No. 17 in the AP Poll.
It was the 15th playing of the Champions Classic, and before the Spartans’ win, they were 0-4 when the event took place at Madison Square Garden.
The Spartans return home to play Detroit Mercy at the Breslin Center on Friday, Nov. 21 at 6:30 p.m. Catch the Impact 89 FM broadcast with Joe Dez and Jack Stager on the call at https://impact89fm.org/
