No. 2 Michigan State 78, No. 1 Kentucky 74: Keith Appling collected 22 points, eight assists and eight rebounds as the Spartans knocked off the Wildcats at the Champions Classic in Chicago.

Gary Harris scored 15 of his 20 points in the first half and Adreian Payne added 15 for Michigan State (2-0), which shot 58.1 percent in the first half and never trailed. Branden Dawson grabbed nine rebounds and scored the last of his eight points on a tip-in with five seconds left that sealed it for the Spartans.

Julius Randle recorded his third double-double in as many games with 27 points and 13 rebounds and fellow freshman James Young kept Kentucky (2-1) in the game early with 15 of his 19 points in the first half. Alex Poythress grabbed 12 rebounds off the bench, but the Wildcats hurt themselves with a 20-for-36 effort from the free-throw line.

Michigan State took advantage of Kentucky’s inexperience right from the start, forcing five turnovers in the first 4:18 and racing out to a 10-0 lead. Payne scored 10 straight points for the Spartans during one stretch in the first half, including a 3-pointer with 4:39 left that pushed the lead out to 34-19 before Michigan State settled for a 44-32 edge at the break.

The Spartans led by as many as 13 points in the second half before Randle scored nine points during a 13-1 burst that pulled the Wildcats within 60-59 with 8:05 left. Randle’s free throws with 4:48 on the clock knotted it at 66, but Appling responded with a corner 3-pointer and Harris grabbed a steal for an easy layup off the inbounds pass to push it back out.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Kentucky C Willie Cauley-Stein went down hard trying to stop a fast break with 11:32 remaining and left the game briefly. … The Wildcats are shooting 62.2 percent from the line through their first three games. … Michigan State forced 17 turnovers, with Appling and Dawson grabbing four steals apiece.