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Michigan State Basketball: 5 bold predictions vs. Kansas in Champions Classic

By Connor Muldowney

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 03: Matt McQuaid #20 and Joshua Langford #1 of the Michigan State Spartans react following their 75-64 loss to the Michigan Wolverines during semifinals of the Big 10 Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 3, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 03: Matt McQuaid #20 and Joshua Langford #1 of the Michigan State Spartans react following their 75-64 loss to the Michigan Wolverines during semifinals of the Big 10 Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 3, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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EAST LANSING, MI – JANUARY 4: Matt McQuaid #20 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates his made basket during the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Breslin Center on January 4, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI – JANUARY 4: Matt McQuaid #20 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates his made basket during the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Breslin Center on January 4, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

1. Matt McQuaid comes up in clutch to help upset Kansas

Over the past two years combined, Matt McQuaid has scored five total points in Champions Classic games against Duke and Kentucky. The only time he ever made noise in this early-season battle against college basketball’s elite teams was back in his freshman season when he scored nine points, hitting 3-of-3 shots from 3-point range to take down No. 4 Kansas.

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Fast forward three years and the senior is now a captain and he’ll have to assume the role of deep threat, something he’s been known as in spurts throughout his career, but not consistently enough.

Kansas will bring out the best in the senior guard yet again as he’ll hit a few big threes late, including one with under a minute left to give the Spartans the lead for good. He’ll come up clutch and we’ll get to see him fired up — which usually gets the rest of the team going.

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We don’t think of McQuaid as a top scoring option, though he can come off the bench and provide 8-10 points, if need be. He’ll be Mr. Clutch on Tuesday night as the Spartans topple the No. 1 team in the land to improve to 1-0.

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