EAST LANSING -- Michigan State coach Tom Izzo revealed a hint of a smile at the mention of his friendship with Kentucky coach John Calipari before the two face off on Tuesday at the Champions Classic in Chicago.

"I shouldn't be close friends with him at all," Izzo mused on the eve of the game between the top-ranked Wildcats and No. 2 Spartans. "I mean, I haven't been able to recruit very well against him No. 1. The only time that we've played against each other, we were I think 100 points down at halftime, but it might not have been that many. It just felt like 100. Hell, I like the guy. I guess he's Italian, and I appreciate that."

There is indeed a history of Calipari getting the best of Izzo. In 2008, a Calipari-coached Memphis team led by as many as 34 points on its way to a 92-74 Sweet 16 win against the Spartans that was ultimately vacated due to eligibility issues with Tigers star Derrick Rose. More recently, Calipari at Kentucky has beaten out Izzo on commitments from Spartans targets James Young last year and Devin Booker and Tyler Ulis this year.

But Izzo also spoke of respect between the two. Izzo has called Calipari for advice on taking NBA jobs before, and the Spartans coach said they still keep in touch with calls. Calipari told reporters Sunday he texted and exchanged laughs with his "good friend" about their recent back-and-forth pregame comments.

"I respect the fact that he can take a bunch of freshmen and for the most part over these years he's able to change his team and still get them to play at a high level, and I think part of it is, whether he likes this or not, they do have seven of the top 10 recruits," Izzo said. "Nobody has that. Nobody. But he has to coach them, too. With that can go problems, and I think he's pretty demanding of his guys. I don't think he just rolls the ball out. I think he gets after them. I respect that about him. So we'll be friends until the ball goes up. If we're down 30 at halftime, I'm bagging my friendship."

Calipari told reporters he and Izzo make each other laugh while competing.

"And the great thing is, we don't make it personal," Calipari said. "It doesn't mean we don’t go after recruits hard -- we've lost guys to them, they've lost guys to us -- but it’s never personal. Being able to go back and forth, shouldn't it be that way."

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