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No. 3 Kansas kicked off its 2021-22 season with an 87-74 win over Michigan State in the Champions Classic on Tuesday.
Ochai Agbaji led the way for the Jayhawks with a career-high 29 points in the neutral-court game at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The game was close in the early going until a late Kansas spurt gave the team a 39-32 lead at halftime. The Big 12 squad took control of the game in the second half while finding a lot of success on fast breaks.
Michigan State was within three points with about 16 minutes remaining in the second half, but the margin quickly ballooned to 15 thanks to a 21-9 run.
The Spartans couldn’t keep up despite four players reaching double digits, led by 17 points from A.J. Hoggard.
Kansas has won five of the last six years in the Champions Classic.
Notable Performances
Ochai Agbaji, G, KAN: 29 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
Remy Martin, G, KAN: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists
A.J. Hoggard, G, MSU: 17 points, 4 assists
Max Christie, G, MSU: 9 points, 3 rebounds
Ochai Agbaji Shines in Deep Kansas Lineup
After making incremental improvements over the past three years, Ochai Agbaji has seemingly taken his game to a new level in the season-opener.
The guard generated much of the offense for Kansas while exhibiting excellence in a number of areas:
The efficiency was especially impressive as the guard finished 9-of-17 on the floor and 8-of-8 from the free-throw line.
Agbaji withdrew from the NBA draft last July, and it looks like he has made the right decision through the first game.
Of course, this is a deep roster with a lot of experience entering the year.
David McCormack, Mitch Lightfoot, Remy Martin, Jalen Coleman-Lands and Agbaji are all seniors in the rotation and will be relied upon heavily this season.
McCormack showcased his skill set on the defensive end with two blocks:
Martin also scored 15 points, all in the second half, to give the team another backcourt scorer.
Head coach Bill Self played 11 players with nine getting onto the scoresheet.
Adding Jalen Wilson, who was suspended for the first three games because of a DUI arrest, Kansas will have a lot of options this season.
Turnovers Derail Michigan State in Loss
Backcourt play was a major issue for Michigan State last season with Joshua Langford and Rocket Watts struggling with consistency.
Hoggard showed there could be major improvements in this area.
The sophomore scored 17 off the bench and impressed with his aggressiveness:
Big Ten Network @BigTenNetwork
Tom Izzo and <a href=”https://twitter.com/MSU_Basketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@MSU_Basketball</a> think they have their PG in <a href=”https://twitter.com/ajhoggard3?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@ajhoggard3</a>. <br><br>He sure looked good on this transition And-1. <a href=”https://t.co/t04dUY5LZ5″>pic.twitter.com/t04dUY5LZ5</a>
Hoggard averaged just 2.5 points per game last year but looks like an impact player to start 2021-22.
Max Christie could be another weapon in the backcourt as a 5-star recruit with high expectations. He showcased some upside Tuesday on his way to nine points.
Big Ten Network @BigTenNetwork
Remember the name, B1G fans: <a href=”https://twitter.com/Max12Christie?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Max12Christie</a>. ✍️<br><br>The heralded <a href=”https://twitter.com/MSU_Basketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@MSU_Basketball</a> freshman just hit his first career bucket. <a href=”https://t.co/mFwVy19QO7″>pic.twitter.com/mFwVy19QO7</a>
The play was still extremely sloppy overall, even for the first game of the year.
Michigan State finished with 16 turnovers, many of them leading to easy plays on the other end for Kansas:
The team also got limited production from Tyson Walker (two points), who transferred in after averaging 18.8 points per game at Northeastern last year.
There is enough talent to improve as the season progresses, but the level of play was nowhere near good enough to match up with the No. 3 team in the country.
What’s Next?
Both teams will now prepare for their home opener Friday. Michigan State will host Western Michigan, while Kansas will take on Tarleton.
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