Kentucky is the favorite vs. Michigan State in the Champions Classic

Kentucky moved past the Louisville loss with the win over Eastern Illinois on Friday night, but on Tuesday, the Cats have a chance to regain some momentum against Michigan State in the Champions Classic. The oddsmakers at BetMGM think they’ll do it, making the No. 12 Cats a 5.5-point favorite vs. the No. 17 Spartans. The total is 154.5 points.

You know what’s going on with Kentucky. After losing to Louisville by eight last Tuesday, the Cats beat Eastern Illinois by 46 points to bring their record to 3-1. The Spartans only played once last week, beating San Jose State 79-60. This will be Michigan State’s first game away from Lansing this season. After beating Colgate 80-69 in the opener, Tom Izzo’s squad knocked off John Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks 69-66.

KenPom likes Kentucky by six, 79-73, while Bart Torvik predicts a 76-74 win. ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives the Cats a 77.8% chance of victory. The Cats are 2-2 against the spread this season and have gone over the point total in three of four games. The Spartans are 1-2 against the spread, going under the total in two out of three games.

Kentucky vs. Michigan State: How to Watch, Listen

Kentucky vs. Michigan State is the first half of the Champions Classic doubleheader. Kansas vs. Duke is the second, starting at approximately 8:30 p.m. ET following ESPN’s reveal of the latest College Football Playoff rankings. College Gameday will air live from Madison Square Garden at 6 p.m. on ESPN, featuring Rece Davis, Jay Bilas, Seth Greenberg, Jay Williams, and Andraya Carter.

• Tipoff: 6:30 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN (Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, Kris Budden)
• Local Radio: UK Sports Network (Tom Leach, Goose Givens)
• AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
• FM: 98.1 WBUL
• Online: iHeart Radio
• Sirius XM: 84

You can also follow along on the KSR LIVE BLOG, which will start a few hours before tipoff, and join the conversation on KSBoard.

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