Nick KrugWith another big game in the Orlando Classic, Perry Ellis cemented his spot as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and helped lead the No. 11 Kansas University men’s basketball team to the early-season title with a 61-56 victory over No. 20 Michigan State.
After a fast start by KU (5-1), Michigan State (5-2) led most of the way during the first half but only led for the first couple of minutes during the second.
Ellis, for the third straight game, led Kansas with 17 points and 9 rebounds. Cliff Alexander, who started the second half, chipped in 6 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks, and freshman Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk found his stroke from three-point range and chipped in 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three-point range.
KU coach Bill Self went with the starting lineup of Frank Mason III, Wayne Selden Jr., Mykhailiuk, Ellis and Landen Lucas for the third game in a row.
KU’s defense was lights-out good in this one and the offense, though hit and miss throughout the game, got enough from Ellis and Mason to slip past a tough Michigan State squad.
Here’s a quick look back at some of the action:
• The game turned when: KU started to lock up the Spartans on the defensive end early in the second half. After falling behind 38-35 early in the second, Kansas ripped off a 10-0 run that featured, jumpers, points in the paint and a couple of transition buckets, but all started on the other end, where the KU defense forced Michigan State to settle for long-range jump shots and limited the Spartans to one shot per trip. That run pushed KU’s lead to 45-38 and proved to be enough of a cushion for KU to ride out the victory.
• Offensive highlight: There might have been prettier plays, but few were as important as the three-pointer drained by Mykhailiuk as the halftime buzzer sounded. Mykhailiuk’s triple came as a result of great composure and cut the Spartans’ halftime lead to one point, and gave KU some serious momentum heading into halftime. With the clock winding down, Mykhailiuk caught a pass on the wing but did not appear to be rushed or panicked by the ticking clock. Instead, he gave a subtle pump fake to buy some room for a clean shot and then pulled the trigger as he faded back behind the line.
• Defensive highlight: With just over four minutes to play in the first half, freshman forward Alexander showed more evidence that he could be the rim protector this team needs when he swatted away a driving layup try by MSU forward Marvin Clark Jr. The ball caromed off the backboard and led to a quick fastbreak for the Jayhawks. Alexander’s big blocks obviously get the most attention, but he also showed a propensity to alter shots in Orlando, as well. Both results, if they come regularly, would be big for the KU defense.
• Key stat: 10 was a magic number of sorts for the Jayhawks on Sunday, in both good and bad ways. Sophomore guard Selden finished the game 0-of-10 from the floor (but did hit 5 of 6 free throw attempts) and fellow-sophomore Mason finished with an incredible 10 rebounds to go along with 10 points and 5 assists.
• Up next: After a few days off early next week, the Jayhawks will return to action at home on Friday, when they take on No. 20 Florida at 8 p.m. Think about this: By Friday night, Self will have squared off against John Calipari, Tom Izzo and Billy Donovan in the first seven games of the 2014-15 season. You gotta love college hoops.
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