MSU Makes Big Statement with Champions Classic Win over Kentucky

No. 17 Michigan State dominated No. 12 Kentucky en route to a big Champions Classic victory at Madison Sqaure Garden in New York on Tuesday night, 83-66.

With three-point shooting being an issue at the start of the season, it felt like the Spartans couldn't miss from deep on this night. MSU made 11 threes after hitting 13 combined over the first three contests.

Nov 18, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Michigan State Spartans center Carson Cooper (15) goes to the basket against Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Several players stepped up for the Spartans during the victory. Jaxon Kohler scored 20 points, Kur Teng dropped a career-high 15 points, and Jeremy Fears Jr. dished out a career-high 13 assists while only turning it over twice.

The win improves Michigan State to a perfect 4-0 mark on the season and gives it its second victory against a ranked opponent already. Kentucky slipped to 3-2.

First Half

Nov 18, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo reacts during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The pace of play early was much more to Kentucky's style than Michigan State's. Entering the game, the Wildcats' adjusted tempo, according to KenPom, was 85th, while the Spartans were 267th.

Both teams were shooting earlier in the shot clocks and hitting a lot of threes. MSU actually scored its first 12 points of the game and 15 of its first 17 via the three-ball after entering Tuesday with only 17.1% of its points coming that way --- the seventh-lowest percentage in Division I hoops. It was some not-so-subtle foreshadowing for how the rest of the game would go.

After the fast-paced start, Michigan State was able to slow down and get more into its pace, and it had some dividends. The Spartans pieced together a 9-0 run that helped them build a 25-19 lead at the first under-8 timeout.

Coming out of that break, Jesse McCulloch and Trey Fort hit back-to-back deep ones, and Coen Carr hit a free throw to make it an 18-2 run, which made MSU's lead 32-19.

The jumpers kept on falling, both from three and from mid-range. Michigan State's other plus was that the defense didn't seem to fall off much, either. Kentucky seemed to try and up the pace, but it resulted in the Wildcats taking some shots that MSU head coach Tom Izzo was happy to see go up, and the lead was 15 at the final media timeout of the first half.

As time ticked down, Teng hit a crazy shot while falling away towards the baseline to make the score at halftime 44-27.

Second Half

Cam Ward — Nov 18, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Brandon Garrison (10) and Michigan State Spartans forward Cameron Ward (3) battle for a rebound during the first half at Madison Square Garden. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Coming out of the locker room with a 17-point lead, the key for MSU was to keep up the same level of intensity offensively and defensively against a Wildcat team that certainly can come back.

Neither team was executing a ton on offense to start the half, with Kentucky shaving two points off the Spartans' lead when the first media timeout of the back half arrived. The Wildcats did suddenly look like the more physical team, though, playing tighter away from the ball and basically daring officials to make a call.

Teng stepped up, though. He hit a few shots at very opportune times when it seemed like Kentucky was beginning to gather some momentum. Jeremy Fears Jr. also made a really impressive play, stopping a 2-on-1 break by essentially baiting a lob and then swatting it away to a teammate.

Still, the Wildcats chipped away, striking with a 10-2 run that got Michigan State's lead down to 10. Izzo called a timeout a little more than halfway through to try and reset things after a 13-4 Kentucky run.

Nov 18, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Jaxon Kohler (0) looks to pass during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The timeout worked. Teng hit another jumper and showed some nice hustle by following his own shot, poking it right to Kohler for an easy layup. That gave the Spartans some more breathing room before another stoppage with about six minutes to go. The run then reached 8-0 to get the lead all the way to 20.

Michigan State was able to glide through the rest of the way. Its lead reached as high as 24 during garbage time, and the Spartans closed out the 83-66 win.

Notable Performances

Nov 18, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Kur Teng (2) shoots the ball as Kentucky Wildcats guard Kam Williams (3) defends during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Jaxon Kohler: 20 points, 5 rebounds

Jeremy Fears Jr.: 8 points, 6 rebounds, 13 assists

Kur Teng: career-high 15 points

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