Kansas Basketball: 3 takeaways from gritty win versus Michigan State
It wasn’t pretty, but the first-ranked Kansas Jayhawks survived a slow start offensively to beat the upset-minded Michigan State Spartans 77-69 in the first game of the Champions Classic at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Take a look at three key takeaways following the Jayhawks’ win as they move to 3-0 on the season.
1. Hunter Dickinson…and nobody else
It was the Hunter Dickinson show tonight for the Jayhawks. Dickinson finished with a game-high 28 points, 12 rebounds and three steals. The problem for Kansas, however, was that nobody else could chip in.
Despite 47 second-half points, it was abundantly clear that tonight was not the night for its supporting cast, shooting just 4-16 from three. The transfer portal class -- Rylan Griffen, AJ Storr, Zeke Mayo and David Coit -- struggled to connect from deep for most of the night. KJ Adams was held in check, shooting just 1-7 from the field. AJ Storr got in early foul trouble. He only saw 12 minutes in the game and ended up fouling out.
KU’s bench, which erupted for 40 points in its win over North Carolina and 45 points in its win over Howard, only scored 15 points tonight. One positive takeaway offensively? Take a look at Zeke Mayo. Despite shooting just 2-8 from the field, Mayo displayed his versatility by knotting seven assists and grabbing 10 boards -- an impressive field considering it was an off night from the field.
2. First half struggles
The first half was less than ideal for Kansas. Not including Dickinson, the Jayhawks shot a woeful 6-26 from the field in the first half. No Jayhawk (other than Hunter Dickinson, of course) scored a point until the 10:06 mark in the first half. Its first field goal came under the eight-minute mark in the first half. Things got so muddled offensively that Bill Self even rolled out a two-big lineup with Dickisinon and Flory Bidunga together in search of interior scoring with the Jayhawks struggling from the perimeter.
The first half was far from pretty -- one that will surely pick at Bill Self until its next game -- but thankfully for Kansas, Michigan State struggled mightily, too. The Spartans would shoot only 3-24 from behind the arc.
3. Bill Self makes history
Kansas’ Bill Self made history tonight, surpassing the legendary Phog Allen in wins, becoming the all-time winningest coach in Kansas basketball history with 591 wins. Self, who sports four Final Fours and two national titles on his resume, has his eyes set on San Antonio with this veteran-laden group. Even if tonight wasn’t KU’s night, the Jayhawks showed that even on their worst night, they can still get the job done against a scrappy, tough-nosed, defensive-minded group like Michigan State.
Bill Self with more wins than any other coach in Jayhawks history. Bill Self with more wins than any other coach in Jayhawks history. dark. Next
The Jayhawks’ next game is versus last year’s NCAA Tournament Cinderella, Oakland, on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 5:00 p.m. CT.