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Kentucky Wildcats vs. Michigan State Spartans – College Basketball Preview

Kentucky Wildcats vs. Michigan State Spartans – College Basketball Preview

It’s going to be an interesting battle between the top two squads in the country: No.1 Kentucky vs. No. 2 Michigan State. This game features two teams that contrast strongly in terms of experience, in the first game of the State Farm Champions Classic in Chicago.

Betting on College Basketball: Kentucky Wildcats at Michigan State

The much hyped, freshmen-laden Kentucky squad of John Calipari has unsurprisingly opened the season with two straight wins. The Wildcats will meet Tom Izzo’s Spartans, who only have three freshmen on  their roster as compared to the nine college greenhorns of Kentucky.

Kentucky Wildcats vs. Michigan State Game Details:

When: 7:30 PM ET, November 12, 2013

Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois

Kentucky Wildcats vs. Michigan State:

Money: Kentucky (-165) vs. Michigan State (+145)

Spread: Kentucky (-3) vs. Michigan State (+3)

Totals: 145.0

Kentucky Wildcats Michigan State Spartans
SU/ATS 2-0/0-0 1-0/0-0
O/U 0-0 0-0
Last Game N. Kentucky Norse (W 93-63) McNeese State Cowboys (W 98-56)
Player to Watch Julius Randle (22.5 PPG, 14.5 RPG) Gary Harris (vs. McNeese: 20 Pts, 10 Reb, 6 Ast, 1 Stl)

Betting on Kentucky:

Two games into the season, the team mostly built by John Calipari is showing us the might everyone expected them to brandish. Kentucky is No. 1 in both rankings of the Associated Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll. [sc:NCAAB240banner ]

That says a lot as to how talented this crop of current Wildcats are, given that they weren’t even part of last season’s March Madness and got smoked by Robert Morris in the opening round of the NIT.

Led by five freshmen who are all well inside the list of top 10 prospects, notably #3 Julius Randle, the Wildcats stormed the floor for their first game of the season and crushed UNC-Asheville, 89-57.  The 6-foot-9 power forward Randle churned out a double-double performance in his debut, topping all scorers with 23 points and grabbing a game high 15 boards.

Following Kentucky’s first win, the Wildcats hosted the Northern Kentucky Norse next. The Norse simply couldn’t stop Randle, who scored at will finishing the game with 22 points and 14 rebounds in the Wildcats’ easy 93-63 victory.

The Harrison twins of Aaron and Andrew had steady games, too, contributing 16 and 13 points respectively.

Andrew, a 6’6” point guard, was the top point guard prospect in the offseason.

Kentucky is 9-1 SU in their last 10 home games.

Bet now on the Kentucky Wildcats

Betting on Michigan State:

Tom Izzo, Gary Harris, Michigan State Spartans, NCAA Basketball

Big Ten top contender and AP Poll preseason rankings No. 2 Michigan State are in a race against time to win the national title before key players either graduate or leave early for the NBA .

Tom Izzo has one year left to maximize seniors Keith Appling and Adreian Payne, and some of his players like Garry Harris and Branden Dawson could try their luck in the pro ranks after this season. That being said, all the qualms about the future of the Spartans basketball program have nothing to do with their ultimate goal of taking home the NCAA title to East Lansing this season.

[sc:NCAAB490Banner ]

Harris figures to be Izzo’s best player. The 6-foot-4 point guard scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the Spartans’ season opener, a 98-56 drubbing of McNeese State. Juniors Dawson and Travis Trice also thrived in that game.

The 6-foot-6 Dawson put up 12 points and 12 rebounds while Trice had 11 points and dished out a career-high eight assists.

The Spartans made it to the Elite Eight round in the last NCAA Tournament where they succumbed to Mike Krzyzewski’s Duke squad.

Michigan State has covered the spread in five of its last seven games against SEC teams.

Bet now on the Michigan State Spartans.

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Rex
Written by Rex

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