Sean Merriman, BTN.com web editor, November 13, 2013

Kentucky entered Tuesday night's matchup against Michigan State with the No. 1-ranking in the country and a ton of hype surrounding this young and extremely talented Wildcats team. But after 40 minutes of dunks, 3-pointers and a whole lot of fouls, it was the Spartans who came out on top in a memorable 78-74 victory.

With that said, let's take a look at the five great sights from Tuesday's opening game between MSU and Kentucky.

[ MORE: Despite what Spartans say, this win meant something ]

Moments before the game, Kentucky and Michigan State warm up as the crowd begins to fill the seats and set the stage for what truly was an incredible college basketball atmosphere.

Sure, this game was played 225 miles outside of East Lansing, but that didn't stop the Izzone from traveling to see their beloved Spartans play. The loud and enthusiastic MSU cheering section consumed two sections in the 300 level of the United Center.

A win makes everyone smile, right? MSU coach Tom Izzo and Gary Harris address the media following the game. Harris shot 7-of-14 from the floor and finished with 20 points for the Spartans.

This is a shot taken from the top row of the United Center in the second half of the Michigan State vs. Kentucky game. The arena was packed at full capacity to see the top two teams in the nation go at it.

How can you top this? It was just last week that Tom Izzo was ranked No. 6 on a list of the 10 Angriest Coaches in College Basketball. You wouldn't know it from looking at this picture. Izzo was all smiles following his team's big win over Kentucky Tuesday night.

About Sean Merriman BTN.com web editor Sean Merriman covers football and men's basketball and provides original content for BTN.com. You can follow him on Twitter @BTNSean.