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| | Tuesday, December 7 | |||||
ESPN.com | ||||||
| CHICAGO -- Michigan State reminded Kansas that playing up-tempo basketball is risky at the elite level, especially if a team lacks intensity.
Kansas had that problem Tuesday night. The Jayhawks came out flat, gave up too many fast-break baskets, were outrebounded badly and didn't have a halfcourt offense in a humbling 66-54 loss to the Spartans.
But they were exposed Tuesday night by a Spartan team that has now conquered North Carolina in Chapel Hill and a previously undefeated Kansas team -- all without injured point guard Mateen Cleaves (next up for the Spartans: at Arizona on Saturday). Tuesday night, the Spartans did it without Morris Peterson's shooting, too. He hung a career-high 31 on the Tar Heels but was a mere mortal 3-of-14 shooting for 10 points as the Spartans rediscovered the playmaking and scoring of point guard Charlie Bell (21 points, four assists) and the shooting of forward A.J. Granger (three 3-pointers). While the Jayhawks struggled to defend the Spartans in the halfcourt, they gave up free baskets on the break in the first half. Michigan State scored 11 fast-break points to zero for KU in the first 20 minutes. When the ball went inside, the Jayhawks (most specifically center Eric Chenowith) were pushed around and unable to establish good position for rebounds. Michigan State outrebounded Kansas 47-35 (Peterson had 10), 19-9 on the offensive backboards. "What hurt us in the halfcourt area was we weren't getting any post-up moves," Gregory said. "Our big men were getting pushed around. We've got to make the defense respect them." Chenowith said he had trouble getting position because he was moved around in the post by shorter, but obviously stronger forwards. He said the referees see that sort of play so often that they don't make a call. Kansas cut a 16-point halftime deficit to six by pressing and trapping. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said the Spartans were tired. They were, but only for a few minutes. Had Kansas had a better shooting eye in the first half, it might have pressed earlier. "You can't press if you don't score," Williams said. And you can't stop a team from scoring if you don't get back on defense. "Xavier ran right away at us and we didn't get back and were down 15 points to them," guard Luke Axtell said of the Great Alaska Shootout semifinal victory over the Musketeers. "We didn't get back tonight. We can. We have the ability. We have the speed. If you're going to play that way, you've got to play all out." Kansas lost to Kentucky 63-45 in last year's Great Eight. Williams said last week that the Jayhawks weren't ready for a game of that magnitude at that time. They had no excuse Tuesday. "It's not time to panic," said point guard Jeff Boschee, who after getting lit up by Bell must deal with Ohio State's Scoonie Penn on Dec. 16 in Lawrence, Kan. "We should have been more up for a game like this, with two top-five teams."
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.
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