There Are Calls For Michigan State To Be Removed From Champions Classic
11/13/2024 02:47 PM
Last night marked the 14th annual Champions Classic, an early season showcase that has become college basketball tradition.
Started in 2011, the event features four premier programs: Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan State. Since the advent of the Champions Classic, Duke, Kansas and Kentucky have each won one more national title, but Michigan State has not. In fact, the Spartans, who won the Big Ten's last national championship in 2000, have not even reached the national title game since 2009.
Michigan State did reach the Final Four in 2015 and 2019, but overall, their year-by-year performance has not lived up to their Champions Classic brethren. Additionally, at 5-9 overall in the event, Michigan State has the worst record of the four Champions Classic participants.
Kentucky is 6-8, while Duke is 8-6 and Kansas leads the way at 9-5. Making matters worse, the Spartans are 2-7 in their last nine Champions Classic games.
During and after Tuesday night's loss to Kansas in Atlanta, MSU was targeted on social media by fans and media members who think they should be booted from the field.
"There's about 5 teams that deserve to be in the Champions Classic over Michigan State," said college basketball podcaster/media personality Mark Titus.
"If college basketball is going to have an event called the Champions Classic, it might be a good idea to have teams that actually win championships. Time to boot Michigan State and add UConn," argued USA TODAY's Dan Wolken in his postgame column.
"Michigan State's inclusion in something called the 'Champions Classic' is a nice and charitable gesture," added The News & Observer's Andrew Carter.
"Michigan State playing poorly in the Champions Classic is the real start of the basketball season," chimed in Kansas City radio host Carrington Harrison.
"Maybe include the best program in the sport? The actual back to back champion? Michigan State doesn't belong in this event anymore," argued Zach Braziller of the New York Post.
At this point, it seems unlikely that Michigan State will get the boot, unless the program falls off a cliff. The calls to remove the Spartans from the Champions Classic aren't going anywhere though as long as they remain on the path they have been on.
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