Kansas Basketball: Biggest takeaways from win over Michigan State

Kansas Basketball tipped off the season with an impressive 92-87 win over the Spartans. What are the key takeaways from the victory?

The Kansas Jayhawks opened the season at the top of the major polls, and their first chance to defend this position came against the No. 10 Michigan State Spartans. Despite a late run by Izzo’s squad, the Jayhawks held off their opponent to secure their first victory of the season.

Take all the controversy surrounding the latest FBI investigation and throw it out, the Jayhawks seem to have put their focus entirely on the new season and it showed. Four players scored 15 or more points, and it took a late run by the Spartans to make a game.

Kansas controlled the paint for most of the game and used a 43% three-point shooting effort to build their lead and hold Michigan State off. Perhaps most impressive was their willingness to share the ball, with the team recording a combined 21 points to just 11 turnovers. While team basketball won the game, the individual efforts stole the show.

Quentin Grimes (21 points, 4 assists) and Dedric Lawson (20 points, 6 assists, 14 rebounds) proved they could replace the production lost from last year’s team. Udoka Azubuike (17 points, 4 blocks) also played well in his limited minutes, and Devon Dotson (16 points, 3 assists, 3 steals) showed promise in his college debut.

There are still many questions yet to be answered, and a few concerns that will certainly be addressed, but these are the three key takeaways from the Jayhawks opener.