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Tom Izzo continues dominance of SEC teams with Champions Classic upset of No. 4 Kentucky

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Tom Izzo’s Michigan State squad may not have been the more talented team on the floor Tuesday night. But by the time the final whistle blew — in double overtime, no less — Izzo’s group had pulled off the upset of John Calipari’s No. 4 Kentucky crew.

While Izzo deflected attention after the game, praising his players and coaching staff for a “program win” over the Wildcats. But make no mistake about it, Izzo was one step ahead of Calipari all night long.

One aspect of the game that allowed the Spartans to shine was a variety of out-of-bounds plays. One such play allowed Michigan State to get Malik Hall for a wide-open jam to force the second overtime period.

When it was all said and done, the Spartans had pulled off the upset to improve to 2-1 on the young season. Beyond that, Izzo improved his all-time record in games against SEC opponents.

Izzo is now 21-6 all-time against the SEC and has his team clicking despite a hard-fought loss to Gonzaga last weekend. We’ll see how far he can push the Spartans this year.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.