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

9 p.m. ET, ESPN

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

6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

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

New York Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo sent a social media post on Tuesday, seemingly addressing his recent controversy after engaging in a shoving match against WWE stars at Madison Square Garden for “Monday Night Raw.” 

“Aye, honestly, if you don’t like that I’m having a good time while dealing with a tough time, then just go ahead and unfollow and casually move on. I’m not able to play football and have the fun I’ve been having my whole life so I am doing things outside the box trying to find stuff to keep me happy,” Skattebo wrote on X. 

“Enjoy the rest of y’all’s week and just don’t talk about me if you ain’t got nothing nice to say.” 

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Skattebo was criticized for engaging in the Monday night spectacle while he is rehabbing from a season-ending ankle injury, and the Giants trudge through a 2-9 season.

The controversial incident began when Dominik Mysterio, one of the trio’s three stars, started jawing with actor and comedian Andrew Schulz. While talking to Schulz, Mysterio — the son of wrestling legend Rey Mysterio — mocked the New York native, saying he was staring at the only champion the city had seen in years.

Mysterio then looked at Skattebo after asking how many years it had been since a New York team won a title and said, “Can you count, Cam? How many years? He don’t know. He can’t count.”

GIANTS ROOKIE CAM SKATTEBO STARTS BRAWL AFTER SHOVING WWE STARS AT ‘MONDAY NIGHT RAW’ 

JD McDonagh, Domink Mysterio and Finn Balor confront Andrew Schulz and Cam Skattebo  during “Monday Night RAW” at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 17, 2025 in New York City. (Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images)

That prompted Skattebo — who suffered his injury in a Week 8 road loss to the Philadelphia Eagles — to stand up and get in Mysterio’s face.

Then, JD McDonagh began jawing at Skattebo, shouting at the Giants players before turning to the rookie.

“You guys gonna play defense for the first time this season?” McDonagh shouted before looking at Skattebo. “What are you gonna do?”

Skattebo shoved McDonagh to the ground, sparking a skirmish between Schulz, Giants players and the wrestlers before security broke it up.

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New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo (44) leaves the field after an injury during the first half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, in Philadelphia.  (Matt Rourke/AP Photo)

Among Skattebo’s Giants teammates in attendance was fellow rookie Abdul Carter, the team’s first-round pick, who was sporting a custom Giants WWE title belt on his left shoulder.

Skattebo finished his rookie season with 617 scrimmage yards (410 rushing, 207 receiving) and seven total touchdowns across eight games.

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Big Ten Conference pushed back Tuesday on a claim by a University of Michigan regent that commissioner Tony Petitti threatened to punish the school if it refuses to support a plan that would clear the way for $2.4 billion in private investment in the league.

Mark Bernstein, chairman of the Michigan board of regents, told The Associated Press this week that Petitti had attempted to “strong-arm” Michigan in a move he said “calls into question his continued leadership of the Big Ten Conference.”

“The Big Ten conference commissioner has threatened the University of Michigan with penalties if we do not approve this deal,” said Bernstein, declining to provide specifics. “Nobody pushes around the University of Michigan — ever.”

The Big Ten disputed the allegation that any school is being forced to back the plan since discussions began last year.

“After receiving interest from third party investors, we formed a working group chaired by then-President (Santa J.) Ono of the University of Michigan to explore and evaluate all options on behalf of our members and the more than 12,000 student athletes in the Big Ten,” said Maryland President Darryll Pines, chair of the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors. “Since we first met in 2024, this has been a collaborative, fair and thorough process that included the University of Michigan. Any other characterization of the work of the COPC and the conference office is inaccurate.

“At Michigan’s direction,” he added, “the conference continues to work with a consultant retained by Michigan to evaluate the transaction.”

Like all major conferences, the Big Ten has been exploring new revenue streams to help its 18 member schools pay the bills in the new era of college athletics. Every school that opted into the House settlement can share up to $20.5 million this academic year alone with its athletes, a number set to rise in the years ahead. Some dramatic changes have already taken place on some campuses.

Private equity stakes have been a controversial subject for schools and conferences, with critics saying it would put profit concerns into the mix along with concerns about who is in control. The Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors opened discussions in July with UC Investments, which handles the University of California’s public pension, on the potential to set up a commercial entity, Big Ten Enterprises, to generate money for all 18 schools through 2046.

UC Investments would give each school a portion of the $2.4 billion up front in a tiered distribution system, in exchange for a 10% cut of the Big Ten’s media rights and sponsorships.

Like Michigan, USC is against the deal as it currently stands. USC athletic director Jennifer Cohen noted that the deal calls for revenue to be “unevenly distributed to members” and was lukewarm in a letter to boosters last week.

“We greatly value our membership in the Big Ten Conference and understand and respect the larger landscape,” she wrote. “But we also recognize the power of the USC brand is far-reaching, deeply engaging and incredibly valuable, and we will always fight first for what’s best for USC.”

UC Investments chief investment officer Jagdeep Singh Bachher said Monday that conference leadership, including Petitti, has shown “exceptional leadership” and “recent misinformation has distorted some aspects of its effort.” He noted that “unity” from all 18 member schools will be “key to the success of Big Ten Enterprises.”

“We also recognize that some member universities need more time to assess the benefits of their participation,” Bachher wrote, without naming any schools. “UC Investments likewise requires some additional time to complete our due diligence as recent developments unfold and we continue to engage with the conference.”

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., has asked the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation for an analysis of several key issues facing college sports, including how a deal to bring outside funding into athletic departments might impact their tax-exempt status.

“Legitimate questions have been raised about whether it is time to rethink the tax-exempt regime under which college sports currently operates,” Cantwell said, in reprising a theme she raised with Big Ten leaders last month.

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni also expressed reservations about Big Ten schools approving such a deal without input from their boards.

“This is not how responsible governance functions,” the council president, Michael Poliakoff, wrote in an open letter last week.

Bernstein agreed.

“It also raises very important and urgent governance questions regarding leadership of the Big Ten Conference and the way many Big Ten universities make decisions,” he said. “It’s my well-informed impression that most of the presidents, chancellors and governing boards of Big Ten universities have not fully evaluated this deal. If they did, they would not support it in its current form.”

Regent Sarah Hubbard said the Big Ten has not given the school a deadline to vote on the proposal, and another regent, Jordan Acker, said he did not like the idea.

“Having the richest college football conference join arms with private equity is not in my view a positive for the University of Michigan,” Acker said.

Bernstein went a step further, saying the deal is “reckless” and “short-sighted.”

“The process has failed to fully evaluate alternatives that address the very real challenges facing many Big Ten athletic departments,” he said. “We acknowledge that the financial model for most athletic conferences and athletic departments is broken. A bailout from private equity is not the way to fix the systemic problems facing collegiate athletics right now.”