Some college basketball teams around the country have it easy on November 6th.
Notice I said “some” and not “all.”
The first Tuesday of November marks the beginning of the 2018/2019 NCAA men’s basketball season, and while many squads have some “cupcakes” scheduled, the same cannot be said for the two teams featured in this blog.
The Michigan State Spartans clash with the Kansas Jayhawks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse at the State Farm Champions Classic in what promises to be a heck of a basketball game. I just wish I could be in Indianapolis to see it all go down.
After reaching the Final Four back in March, the Jayhawks are no doubt eager for redemption. With a title berth on the line, Kansas wasn’t just upended by Villanova; they were beaten badly. My guess is they have been itching to play a meaningful game ever since.
Flip the coin, and the Spartans should have even more anger and motivation built up.
MSU was upset in the Round of 32 by the 11th-seeded Syracuse Orange. Many had pegged Michigan State as a Final Four pick when the bracket was released, so you can imagine how the players and coaches in East Lansing felt after the defeat.
I know it’s still early, and the line for this game has yet to be released.
But I’m anxious for college basketball to begin, and I couldn’t help myself without previewing this contest.
Of course, once the time comes and bookies have set a line, I’ll either be updating this page with my pick or creating a new blog post entirely.
Either way, you’ll know who I’ll be targeting, and you’ll be able to place the wager confidently.
Since each team has yet to take the court, allow me to start by introducing each school and what their aspirations will look like for the upcoming season. Then I’ll start looking at how this matchup will likely play out.
That way, when the odds are revealed, you’ll already know which side you want to lean on!
Bill Self has his hands full trying to replace a trio of players who each had large and lasting impacts on this team.
I’m talking about Devonte’ Graham, Malik Newman, and Svi Mykhailiuk.
Each of these men averaged 14+ points per game this past season, not to mention provided immense leadership and stability to this program.
The good news for fans in Lawrence is that this school has never had any issues replenishing their roster, as they habitually send multiple players to the NBA Draft each and every year.
2018/2019 will be no different as freshman guard Quentin Grimes enters campus as the Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year.
The 6’5” shooting guard and former Gatorade State Player of the Year award winner from Texas will immediately be looked upon by his teammates and coaching staff to provide scoring and accountability.
It doesn’t end there, as junior-transfer Dedric Lawson will be in uniform for the Jayhawks after sitting out last season. After clocking in at 19.2 points and 9.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Memphis, Dedrichas the ability to take over a game single-handedly.
Self has gone as far as saying Lawson reminds him a little of Larry Bird, although that seems a bit premature if you want my personal opinion. Whether or not he can “do it all” like Larry could remains to be seen, but all signs are pointing to Lawson being one of the premier players in the nation if things pan out.
David McCormack and Devon Dotson joined Grimes on the McDonald’s All American Team and are both true freshman who should add instrumental depth to this absolutely loaded roster.
I haven’t even mentioned Udoka Azubuike, the mammoth-sized center who led the nation in field goal percentage last season as a sophomore (77%).
Word on the street is that Udoka has been working vehemently to add some range to his offensive game, and if he adds a mid-range jumper to his arsenal, opposing teams in the Big 12 are going to be having nightmares on the eve of playing the Jayhawks.
Silvio De Sousa and Lagerald Vick could be superstars at other programs but are instead just rotational pieces in Bill Self’s lineup.
As you can plainly see, the Jayhawks will be rocking Allen Fieldhouse all season long. And as far as how high the bar will be set?
Anything short of another Final Four appearance and a serious bid at a national title will be considered a disappointment.
Talk about losing some of your top players.It’s easy to feel for Spartans head coach Tom Izzo.
Not only was Jaren Jackson Jr. a top-5 pick after bolting for the NBA after his freshman campaign, but Miles Bridges was eligible to play two more years at Michigan State had he decided to stay in school.
Instead, he took his 17 points and 7.6 rebounds that he averaged over 62 games for Michigan State and was also selected as a lottery pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
So if you are wondering how this squad plans on transitioning and who Coach Izzo expects to handle the burden of leading and scoring for this team, just follow along.
When you look at their projected starting lineup, there is a glaring stat that jumps out that you won’t find hardly anywhere amongst the top teams in the country.
Not only does Michigan State not plan on having any freshman in their starting 5, but there are no sophomores to be found, either!
Freshman Marcus Bingham will likely push for valuable minutes at the power forward position, but senior Kenny Goins will have a considerable role as well. He’ll be joined on the court by fellow senior Matt McQuaid, but it’s really a triad of juniors that will carry most of the weight in East Lansing.
Wing player Joshua Langford doesn’t have Miles Bridges or Jaren Jackson Jr. to battle with for touches, so expect to see his 11.7 PPG average to be on the uptick. He is an effective outside shooter and can finish around the basket, so look for him to insert himself as one of the top players in the Big 10.
Center Nick Ward chipped in with more than 12 points and 7 rebounds a night for Tom Izzo last year, and that was while playing fewer than 19 minutes per game!
He’ll be a dependable force down low for Michigan State, but it’s finally time I unveil their leader and the glue that holds it all together.Cassius Winston.
The Spartans point guard had his coming out party last year.Not only was Cassius among the nation’s leaders in assists per game (6.9), but he shot 49.8% from 3-point land and 90% from the charity stripe.
Winston will likely be considered for many season-ending awards, but the only ones he cares about are a Big 10 title and to still be playing ball into the month of April.
So while MSU will be looking to replace the ferocity of Bridges and Jackson Jr., they don’t have to search for a floor general who will put players in optimal positions to succeed.
Going through the gauntlet that is the Big 10 Conference won’t be easy, but the Spartans are built to be the last team standing.
I’m expecting Kansas to open as a marginal favorite, but it likely won’t be too big of a spread. Perhaps in that 4-6 point range, but only time will tell.
This game will be played at a neutral site, as most big-time programs are a bit hesitant to scheduletrue road games during their non-conference schedule.
But that doesn’t mean we won’t see a plethora of Jayhawks fans going raucous in the arena. And same for the guys in the green and white jerseys, because nobody needs to teach the Spartan fan base anything about traveling to support their school.
Given that Kansas is slotted at #2 and Michigan State is 11th in Andy Katz’s preseason Power 36 college basketball rankings, it’s pretty safe to say that this highly-anticipated tussle will have no shortage of drama.
Both universities have to replace a wealth of scoring, so it’s natural to expect that what we see from these teams in November won’t emulate what their final product will look like in March.
And whoever loses this game obviously won’t be happy with the result, but playing this stiff of competition to kick the year off should serve both of these programs well down the road.
I’m going to wait until more information comes out to make a final pick, as it’s difficult to be conclusive without knowing the actual odds!
Betting on NCAA men’s b-ball games is a whole bunch of fun.
The top betting sites can easily be accessed, and they promise to deliver the online betting experience you are seeking.
If you don’t have any online accounts yet, I suggest you create at leastone and start getting in on the action sooner rather than later. That way, you can start shopping your lines and placing the most lucrative wagers out there.
In the case of the Michigan State/Kansas game on opening night, it’s just the start of what will undoubtedly be a magnificent season.
In fact, that game is actually just the start of an incredible night of college basketball, as another pair of behemoths squares off as part of a doubleheader in Indy.
Duke and Kentucky will tip off in the same building directly following the conclusion of this contest, giving you 5+ hours of nonstop college basketball coverage at the highest level.
And don’t worry – I’ll be releasing an in-depth preview of that game right here tomorrow!
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