Michigan State basketball: 3 bold predictions vs. No. 1 Kansas

Beating the No. 1 team in the country is something Tom Izzo has done before while leading an unranked team, but his current Michigan State basketball team has an opportunity to add to the Hall of Famer’s elite resume on Tuesday night.

Izzo is no stranger to playing some of the best teams in the country and he’s facing No. 1 Kansas on Tuesday night in the Champions Classic with an opportunity to get the last laugh against Hunter Dickinson.

That’s right, the former Michigan big man is still in college and he’s in his final (hopefully) collegiate season.

There’s plenty of history between Dickinson and the Spartans and he’s had Michigan State’s number, for the most part, but if Izzo’s team can pull off the upset on Tuesday night, that would almost make up for all the previous losses to him.

With that in mind, let’s get bold.

1. Jaxon Kohler out-duels Hunter Dickinson

There truly is not a more “is he seriously still in college?” player than Dickinson and he has had Michigan State’s number for years, but the Spartans seem to finally have a pulse in the post. Jaxon Kohler looks like he’s turned the corner early in his junior season and Szymon Zapala feels like an upgrade to Mady Sissoko so far. On top of that, Xavier Booker looks like he could defend the five, if need be, and his rim-protecting presence is going to help out a lot this year.

We’ll see a lot of Kohler vs. Dickinson on Tuesday night and I think the Michigan State big man will finally get the better of his Kansas counterpart.

Dickinson will still have a decent game with 15 points and nine rebounds, but I think we’re going to see Kohler make a name for himself in the national spotlight, putting up 18 points and 11 rebounds in a huge performance.

2. Jaden Akins stays hot

In order for Michigan State to pull off the upset, Jaden Akins needs to continue his hot start to the season.

In the first game, Akins went off for 23 points and shot 66 percent from the floor. And in game two, he didn’t need to do much and he finished with 10 points on just under 50 percent shooting. He’s averaging 16.5 points per game and I see him not only approaching that average but surpassing it and dropping 20 in a much-needed performance against Kansas.

Michigan State basketball will go as far as Akins takes it and on Tuesday, we’ll see just how far that can be.

3. Big Jase Richardson 3-pointer helps pull off upset

One of the biggest revelations through two games this year has been freshman guard Jase Richardson. The son of Jason Richardson has lived up to the hype, and then some, with 22 points through two games while shooting 67 percent from the floor and 50 percent from deep. He’s going to add to his early-career lore on Tuesday against the No. 1 team in the country much like Matt McQuaid did in the Champions Classic when he was a freshman.

Richardson will channel his inner McQuaid and hit a huge three in the final minutes to finally put Michigan State ahead and the Spartans won’t look back, clinging on to a 1-3-point advantage with time melting away.

Michigan State basketball will pull off the upset of the No. 1 Jayhawks and we’ll look back to that huge Richardson three as the heroic play.