Champions Classic is for elite teams. So why is Michigan State still here? | Opinion

ATLANTA — With each missed layup, clanked three and clumsy pass out of bounds, you could imagine Danny Hurley somewhere in Connecticut with steam coming out of his nostrils watching Tuesday’s game here between No. 1 Kansas and Michigan State while doing a full Seinfeld-meets-George-Carlin routine.

“Champions Classic? How the (expletive) do you call that a Classic? And last I checked, aren’t we the (expletive expletive) champions?“

To be perfectly clear, Hurley did not say this. For all we know he wasn’t even watching. But if Hurley was looking for a little early-season motivation, he could have plausibly found it here, where the supposed No. 1 team in the country slogged through a 77-69 victory over a Michigan State team that isn’t going to be the champion of anything anytime soon.

In fact, given that Tom Izzo’s one and only national title will be a quarter-century old when the Final Four comes around again this year, maybe it’s time to find a new team for this annual event that — if we take words literally — should feature teams that actually win championships.

Maybe, you know, like the team that has won five NCAA titles since Izzo’s crowning achievement 25 years ago.

Seriously, why is Michigan State still invited to take part in this? If the theory behind the Champions Classic is to juice interest in college basketball by getting four bluebloods in the same building for an early-season ESPN showcase, you should put the best programs in it.

Sorry, but Michigan State no longer qualifies.

Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. collides with Kansas guard Dajuan Harris Jr. during the second half.

For Izzo, who turns 70 in January, this has been a decade of decline. Oh, he’s as good as ever when he gets cranky about the culture around college athletics these days and can tee off to reporters about how things aren’t as good (for him, anyway) as they used to be.

But on the court? Well, the Spartans don’t breathe that air anymore. They’re still the hard-nosed,…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/champions-classic-elite-teams-why-032537103.html

Author : USA TODAY Sports

Publish date : 2024-11-13 03:25:00

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