Tom Izzo shared his thoughts on Kentucky ahead of the State Farm Champions Classic

Tom Izzo had a lot of good to say about Kentucky ahead of their matchup with MSU.

Michigan State's head coach Tom Izzo, left, talks to Coen Carr during the second half in the game against San Jose State on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats are ready for another marquee non-conference matchup as they are about to take on the Michigan State Spartans in the State Farm Champions Classic.

The Wildcats came up short against rival Louisville, and the Spartans are coming off a big win over Arkansas a few days ago, so both teams have a lot to prove.

Legendary coach Tom Izzo talked to the media ahead of this matchup, and he had a lot of positive things to say about the Wildcats.

Here is what Izzo had to say about the Wildcats, "Well, I told you that I thought Arkansas was one of the most talented teams I saw, and I did. They had some younger guys who didn't have as much experience. Kentucky is even more athletic and tougher. They really push the ball. Arkansas had one guy who pushed the ball. Kentucky has multiple guys who push the ball. They have more than a couple of shooters. They can shoot it from deep. Arkansas had one, maybe two; they have three, maybe four. They're big inside, and those two guys inside complement each other. They kind of play 22 and 18 minutes, so they're usually fresh. They're well coached. I think we're going to hit some of the better teams in the country, and they are one of them."

Michigan State's coach Tom Izzo heads to the locker room before the game against Bowling Green on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coach Izzo seems to have a lot of respect for this team and for Coach Pope, as he anticipated this game being a battle. Michigan State is one of the best teams in college basketball down low. The Spartans are not a good shooting team, but they are good around the rim, so the Wildcats are going to have to play great defense at the cup.

The Wildcats also need to make sure they are not letting the Spartans get second-chance opportunities because they are a big team and have done well on the boards.

The Wildcats are still looking for a game where they light things up from deep, and this game would be a perfect opportunity.

This is going to be a great basketball game that could be close between two of the best defenses in college basketball. If Kentucky has a good day on offense, they should win this game, but if they don't, it could go either way. Coach Pope and his team desperately need to win this basketball game against a ranked Michigan State team in Madison Square Garden.