The Champion’s Classic tips off on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, each year featuring the same four blue blood college basketball programs. This year’s matchups will feature Michigan State vs. Kentucky at 6:30pm ET, followed by Kansas vs. Duke.
Let’s breakdown a college basketball pick from the early game between the Spartans and the Wildcats.
Michigan State vs. Kentucky (Tuesday 6:30pm ET)
This is expected to be the more competitive of the two games in this event, with DraftKings Sportsbook opening Kentucky a 5.5-point favorite on Monday. That number has been bet down to the Wildcats -4 at of about 10am ET on Tuesday.
Both teams have given themselves an early test, with Michigan State hosting Arkansas and Kentucky going on the road for a big rivalry game in Louisville. Sparty earned the narrow home victory over the Hogs, while Kentucky came up just short on the road. While Tom Izzo and company have a nice win under their belts, I was actually more impressed with what Kentucky was able to do.The Wildcats fell down by as many as 20 points at Louisville, and the Cardinals were unconscious from downtown. Kentucky still managed to cut it to a four-point game late, but ultimately fell short.
Michigan State has some good athleticism on the perimeter in Jeremy Fears and Coen Carr, and a couple of solid bigs in the paint. But everything that Sparty has, the Wildcats just have more of. Kentucky is a legit 10-deep roster, and send guards and size at you in waves. Louisville killed Kentucky with its shooting, and the Spartans simply cannot create that same threat. MSU is built to win on the interior, where Kentucky has the bodies to offset that advantage.
While Michigan State is well coached and should play a disciplined game, I expect Kentucky’s depth, size and athleticism to ware Sparty down. I’d lay the -4 with the Wildcats if you want a straight bet on the game, but I made an early play on Kentucky on the moneyline with Duke in the late game. I’d be willing to play that out to -140.
College Basketball Pick: Kentucky/Duke Moneyline Parlay (-108)
You can find my breakdown of Kansas vs. Duke in the Champions Classic here.
Looking for more betting angles and analysis on college hoops? Check out the college basketball home page on DraftKings Network!
