Champions Classic 2013: Breaking Down Each Team's Most Valuable Player

The 2013 Champions Classic was a terrific start to the college basketball season, and a number of players stepped up in these two incredibly entertaining games.

The Michigan State Spartans took down the top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats 78-74 to get things started.  The Spartans were able to get off to a hot start, but the Wildcats kept things close at the end.  Meanwhile, the Kansas Jayhawks were able to win a big game over the Duke Blue Devils, winning 94-83 in what was a tightly contested game until the end.

Each team had one player in particular who stepped up, so let's take a look at the most valuable player for each of them.

Michigan State: Keith Appling

In a year where everyone is talking about the exciting freshmen, it was certainly refreshing to see a senior have a big day.

Keith Appling did not back down from this major test.  He scored 22 points in the game, making eight of his 14 field goals and all four free throws.  He really filled the stat sheet, adding eight rebounds, eight assists and four steals.

Although he started off a little slow, Appling finished strong.  His steals led to some critical fast breaks and a big swing in momentum. 

While Gary Harris had a big game as well, it was Appling who provided the veteran leadership and helped lead the Spartans to a very big win to start the season.

Kentucky: Julius Randle

In the battle for the nation's best freshman, Julius Randle has made an awfully strong case for the top spot.

Randle finished with 27 points, 13 rebounds and an assist.  He was efficient from the floor and on the line, shooting 9-of-14 from the field and 9-of-15 from the charity stripe.  The big concern in this one was the turnovers, as the team had 17 total, with Randle being responsible for eight of them.

In his first three games, Randle has scored had a double-double in each one, averaging 24 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.  He's shown that he can make a ton of plays in the paint and keeps showing why he was such a popular recruit.

There are a ton of exciting freshmen for Kentucky, but Randle has topped them all so far.

Kansas: Perry Ellis

Surprised it wasn't Andrew Wiggins?  If you watched the game, you shouldn't be.

Wiggins still had a very strong game, finishing with 22 points and eight rebounds on 9-of-15 shooting.  But many expected Wiggins to have a big game, while few people were talking about Perry Ellis entering this one.

It was a big day for Ellis, who averaged just 5.8 points per game last season.  He finished with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting, adding seven rebounds, two assists and two steals.  He provided a big spark for the team and made himself known on the national spotlight.

With an exciting group of new faces for the Jayhawks, a big night from Ellis bodes well for the team's national title hopes.

Duke: Jabari Parker

While his team lost, Jabari Parker showed everyone he may very well be the best freshman in the country.

Parker scored 19 points in the first half, simply dominating the Jayhawks.  He slowed down a bit, finishing with 27 points, but was still efficient, shooting 4-of-7 behind the arc and 9-of-18 overall.  He also added another nine rebounds and three steals.

Oh, and he had this sweet alley-oop slam dunk.

Through two games, Parker has made seven of his 10 three-point attempts.  He's scored 49 points and is finding ways to score from all over the floor while also playing solid defense.

It will be an incredibly tight race to see who is the best freshman in college basketball, but my vote for now is with Parker after another impressive performance.