Sports
What we learned from Michigan State’s win over Kentucky at Champions Classic
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Jeff Borzello
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Myron Medcalf
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Myron Medcalf
ESPN Staff Writer
- Myron Medcalf covers college basketball for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2011.
The No. 17 Michigan State Spartans took a commanding lead against the No. 12 Kentucky Wildcats, closing out the first of two 2025 State Farm Champions Classic showdowns with an 83-66 win.
Men’s college basketball reporters Myron Medcalf and Jeff Borzello break down what the result means, plus what to watch between No. 5 Duke Blue Devils and No. 24 Kansas Jayhawks in the second game of Tuesday night’s event at Madison Square Garden.
Champions Classic takeaways
Final: Michigan State 83, Kentucky 66
How Michigan State won: Kentucky coach Mark Pope probably knew it would be a long night when sophomore guard Kur Teng (15 points) — who scored just 10 points over 55 minutes of playing time all of last season — hit an off-balanced shot with seconds to play in the first half. The buzzer shot capped a 30-10 Michigan State run that broke Kentucky’s will. Jaxon Kohler (20 points) outclassed Kentucky’s frontcourt, and the Spartans, who had shot 21.7% from 3-point range (352nd out of 365 Division I teams) entering the season, made 52% of those shots Tuesday night. Tom Izzo also managed to stall the Wildcats’ fast-paced offense (ranked eighth in adjusted offensive efficiency entering the night).
It was like watching a balloon slowly deflate as Izzo’s squad robbed Kentucky, a dangerous team in transition, of its greatest asset. Overall, Michigan State’s hot shooting, defensive strategy and toughness (Kentucky didn’t have an offensive rebound in the first 10 minutes) fueled the 17-point win. — Medcalf
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Kur Teng’s 3rd triple pads Michigan State’s lead
Kur Teng’s 3rd triple pads Michigan State’s lead
What the loss means for Kentucky: Is something wrong with Kentucky? After last week’s loss to Louisville, Pope said something had happened with his team before the game, though refused to offer any details. Another lackluster performance will only lead to more speculation: Drama? A fight? Another major issue?
Kentucky’s strategy entering this game made sense. The Wildcats tried to push the pace, where they excel — but Michigan State wouldn’t allow it. They packed the paint against a team that had failed to make 3-pointers — Michigan State made 3s.
But Kentucky really struggled to score in its half-court sets, also a problem against Louisville. It also had far too many mishaps on defense. Foul trouble for Collin Chandler, the team’s leading scorer, didn’t help. Yet, the question about Kentucky’s locker room and whether there are issues outside basketball will persist. –Medcalf
Champions Classic preview
Editor’s note: After this story was published, Kansas announced that Darryn Peterson (hamstring) will not play on Tuesday night. The following has been updated to reflect that news.
How Duke could win: These teams have a noticeable talent gap, especially with Peterson out.
Duke didn’t look efficient offensively in the first half of its season opener against Texas, but the Blue Devils have been firing on all cylinders since. Cameron Boozer has been as productive as expected (more on that below), but the perimeter balance has been effective, too. Duke has made 36 3s over its past three games, with Dame Sarr beginning to emerge and Patrick Ngongba II being an anchor inside. Kansas couldn’t stop North Carolina once the Tar Heels got going in the second half of the Jayhawks’ Nov. 7 loss, and I expect a repeat of that Tuesday night.
How Kansas could win: With Peterson sidelined, it’s hard to see the Jayhawks prevail. Can they find any level of success limiting Boozer’s touches near the rim — the way Texas did on Nov. 4 — with some combination of Flory Bidunga, Tre White and Bryson Tiller? Without Peterson, Kansas’ offense has run through Bidunga, who will need to be aggressive against Ngongba and Maliq Brown.
Bill Self has a variety of battle-tested veteran wings; White, Melvin Council Jr. and Jayden Dawson will also have to step up if Kansas wants to keep up with Duke’s firepower.
What does Boozer have to do to close the gap in the race for the No. 1 pick? Boozer has continued to be productive, finishing with 35 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals against Indiana State on Friday. We should expect more massive stat lines in Tuesday’s game — and in upcoming matchups against Florida, Michigan State and Texas Tech — which will keep him in the conversation for the top pick. He clocks in at No. 3 in ESPN’s latest NBA mock draft. — Borzello
How Kentucky could win: Michigan State doesn’t have a player like Mikel Brown Jr. — the projected NBA lottery pick out of Louisville who scored 29 points in the Cardinals’ win against Kentucky last Tuesday — but the Wildcats have to be better defensively than they were against their archrivals. They can’t allow the Spartans to have the same success the Cardinals had with isolation and pick-and-roll plays a week ago.
On offense, Kentucky is at its best when it plays fast but under control. That pace (the Wildcats are 83rd in adjusted tempo, per KenPom) allows Collin Chandler (57% from 3) to get open looks, and Denzel Aberdeen and Otega Oweh to create shots — a potential winning formula against Michigan State.
How Michigan State could win: Michigan State doesn’t win the talent battle, but Tom Izzo will be the most experienced coach on the floor, a potential key to the game. It will be difficult for the Spartans to win by matching Kentucky’s pace, but they can replicate Louisville’s success in exposing the Wildcats’ defensive vulnerabilities in half-court actions.
The Spartans will also have to limit Oweh’s impact, and force other players to take shots they’re not accustomed to shooting. Izzo will also need 6-foot-9 freshman Cam Ward (18 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals in the Nov. 8 win over Arkansas) to play at a high level under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.
The X factor we haven’t considered yet: Michigan State is just 9-for-43 from the 3-point line in its past two Champions Classic appearances — and this season’s team has made just 21.7% of its shots from beyond the arc (352nd out of 365 Division I programs entering the week). Another cold night for the Spartans from deep might spell doom against a Kentucky team that is top 10 in adjusted offensive efficiency.
On the other side, Kentucky coach Mark Pope said Jaland Lowe‘s status is undetermined due to injury. If the Pitt transfer is unavailable, Aberdeen will be forced to lead his team and avoid foul trouble. A couple of early fouls on the Florida transfer, arguably the Wildcats’ best defensive player, could change the outcome of this game. — Medcalf
Sports
Miami beats Ole Miss behind Carson Beck’s game-winning touchdown to reach CFP National Championship Game
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The Miami Hurricanes are heading to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, coming away with a narrow victory over Ole Miss, 31-27, in an all-time postseason contest.
The Hurricanes will now await the winner of the other semifinal between the Indiana Hoosiers and Oregon Ducks to see who they will play on Jan. 19. But Miami will do so on their home turf, with the National Championship Game being played at Hard Rock Stadium – the site of their home games.
The game began slowly for both teams, with only Miami getting on the scoreboard in the first quarter with a field goal on their 13-play opening drive. But the fireworks came out from there for the Rebels thanks to the speed of running back Kewan Lacy.
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Charmar Brown of the Miami (FL) Hurricanes celebrates a run in the first quarter of the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Steve Limentani/ISI Photos)
On just the second play of the second quarter, Lacy was off to the race, finding a seam and busting out a 73-yard touchdown run to go up 7-3 after the extra point.
But this game was back and forth for quite some time, including the ensuing Hurricanes drive as quarterback Carson Beck led the way on a 15-play touchdown series with a CharMar Brown rushing score from four yards out.
The game was deadlocked at 10 apiece when Beck decided to air it out to Keelan Marion, and it was worth the risk. Marion made the grab for a 52-yard touchdown to help Miami go up 17-13 at halftime.
CFP: WHAT DO CIGNETTI, LANNING, CRISTOBAL AND GOLDING HAVE IN COMMON? NICK SABAN
The third quarter was an odd one for both squads, as their opening drives resulted in a missed field goal apiece. Then, after Beck threw an interception, the Rebels were able to cut the lead to 17-16 in favor of the Hurricanes heading into the fourth quarter for the ages.
There was no absence of electric plays when it mattered most in the final 15 minutes, as Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss got his team downfield enough to take a 19-17 lead with a field goal.
But the speed of Malachi Toney changed the scoreboard for Miami in the best way possible, as he took a screen 36 yards to the house, capping a four-play, 75-yard answer drive for the Hurricanes right after Ole Miss took the lead.
Trinidad Chambliss of the Ole Miss Rebels celebrates a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes in the second quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
With a 24-19 lead and five minutes left to play in the game, Chambliss and the Rebels’ offense had quite enough time to retake the lead. He did just that, finding trusty tight end Dae’Quan Wright for 24 yards to send the Rebels faithful ballistic.
Ole Miss wanted to go for two in hopes of making it a three-point lead, and Chambliss came through again, finding a wide open Caleb Odom for the key score.
It was up to Beck and the Miami offense to keep the game alive with at least tying the game at 27 apiece. On a crucial third-and-10 just inside field goal range, Beck was confident with his pass to Marion to get well within range. Another pass to Marion made it first-and-goal, and it was clear Miami wasn’t trying to force overtime. They wanted to win it all.
How fitting was it that Beck, scanning the field, found a seam to his left and just sprinted for the colored paint to score the game-winner with 18 seconds left.
But things got fascinating at the end, with Ole Miss going 40 yards in just a few seconds to set up a Hail Mary for the win. Chambliss had the space to loft a pass to the end zone, and though it hit off the hand of a teammate, it landed incomplete for the Miami victory.
Carson Beck of the Miami Hurricanes passes the ball against the Ole Miss Rebels in the first quarter during the 2025 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
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In the box score, Beck was 23-of-37 for 268 yards with his two passing touchdowns and an interception. Marion was a key player in the victory with seven catches for 114 yards, while Mark Fletcher Jr. set the tone in the ground game with 133 yards rushing on 22 carries. Toney also tallied 81 receiving yards for Miami.
For Ole Miss, Chambliss also went 23-of-37 for 277 yards with his touchdown to Wright, who finished with 64 yards on three grabs. De’Zhaun Stribling was five for 77 through the air, while Lacy rushed for 103 yards on 11 carries.
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Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank has said he didn’t notice he was drinking out of an Arsenal cup ahead of the clash at Bournemouth, adding that it would have been “absolutely stupid” for him to do so.
Frank was pictured drinking out of a coffee cup that had the logo of Spurs’ arch-rivals Arsenal emblazoned on it ahead of their game on Wednesday.
The image was widely shared on social media, and when Frank was asked about it post-match he said: “It’s fair to say that not winning every single football match, it would be absolutely stupid of me to take a cup with Arsenal on it. Anyone thinking I’ve done that or the staff has done it …
“They’ve been in the changing room the game before us [on Saturday]. It’s normal to say ‘give me a cup of espresso’ before every game.
“I think it’s a little bit sad in football that I need to be asked a question like that. We are definitely going in the wrong direction if we are worrying about me having a cup of another club. Of course I wouldn’t do that. That would be really stupid.”
Arsenal were the last visitors at the Vitality Stadium, registering a 3-2 win on the weekend. Nevertheless, the image of Frank with an Arsenal cup was poor optics for a Spurs manager who is facing scrutiny for his side’s performances.
Frank’s side’s 3-2 loss at Bournemouth courtesy of a late Antoine Semenyo strike means they’ve won just one of their last five Premier League games and languish in 14th in the table.
“I think it’s fair to say everyone involved in Tottenham, it’s a tough one to take today,” said Frank. “Hopefully everyone can see how hard we worked to get everything in the right direction.
“Overall the performance was good, especially the second half, in a game where we deserved to get more.
“That is extremely painful to be part of, so of course people are frustrated — that’s natural.
“It’s very tough to sit here right now and we haven’t got anything out of overall a good performance.”
Demond Williams Jr. has been dropped by his agent, Doug Hendrickson, in the wake of the former Washington quarterback’s announcement that he will enter the transfer portal.
“I have made the decision to end my representation of Demond Williams Jr. effective immediately due to philosophical differences,” Hendrickson posted Thursday on social media. “Demond is an incredible talent and we wish him and his family the best in their future endeavors.”
Williams announced Tuesday he would enter the portal, just days after he signed a contract in the mid-$4 million range to return to the Huskies for the 2026 season, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
The deal would have been near the top of the market for a quarterback in college football.
Hendrickson, the executive vice president at Wasserman Sports, also represents Washington coach Jedd Fisch.
Sources told Thamel that Washington is prepared to pursue all legal avenues to enforce Williams’ contract. According to details of the contract, Washington is not obligated to enter Williams into the portal or “otherwise assist or facilitate the Student-Athlete’s transfer to another college or university.”
In response to this, Williams has retained sports attorney Darren Heitner as legal counsel, Heitner announced on social media.
The situation has drawn the attention of the Big Ten, sources told Thamel. The conference was vocal in Xavier Lucas‘ controversial transfer from Wisconsin to Miami last year, supporting the Badgers in trying to enforce the defensive back’s contract with the team.
Williams, a sophomore, completed 69.5% of his passes for 3,065 yards with 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions this season. He also rushed for 611 yards and six touchdowns, earning All-Big Ten honorable mention honors.
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