Player Ratings and Recap from the Champions Classic: Kansas Jayhawks vs Michigan State Spartans

This year I am recapping games in a similar fashion that soccer matches are recapped. Following a game, each player receives a rating 1-10 based upon their performance. Over the course of time you can see how they are playing in stretches, and how the team overall is performing based upon the form of their players. I think this is an effective way to evaluate basketball games. Especially when, at the end of the season, it is not always the most talented team that wins, or the team that had the most victories during the season, but the team that is experiencing the greatest of run of form. So, with no further introduction, here are player ratings from the ESPN Champions Classic game between 4 Kansas and 13 Michigan State, where Michigan State stormed back in the second half to win. 

Still to come is my recap of last night's Kentucky-Duke game. 

4 Kansas 73 vs 13 Michigan State 79

This was my first chance to see both Kansas and Michigan State this season. I watched most of the game, but was often distracted, and missed the first part of the second half.

Kansas Jayhawks

F Perry Ellis: 7.5

Perry Ellis looked like the best player on Kansas' team against the Spartans. He scored, a team high, 21 points on 9-18 shooting. He was one for two beyond the arc. Ellis only grabbed six rebounds, but three of them came on the offensive end. He became less effective in the second half, making only three of seven shots in the second frame.

F Jamari Traylor: 4.5

Traylor got the start for Kansas in place of a yet to be cleared by the NCAA freshman. He is not a forward with high offensive potential. He averaged less than five points per game last season, while playing more than 20 minutes. Traylor scored six points this game, going one for one, and hitting all four of his free throw attempts. Traylor, along with Landen Lucas, led the Jayhawks in rebounds, with seven. Traylor only played 18 minutes, because he

G Frank Mason III: 5.5

Frank Mason shot a spectacular 43% from three last season. Unfortunately for Kansas, he went 0 for 3 from that range against Michigan State. In all, he went just 5-15, 33%, from the field, and scored 14 points. Despite not being an efficient scorer, Mason contributed in other ways. He grabbed five rebounds, dished out three assists, and also picked up three assists. Mason also only turned the ball over once despite playing 34 minutes, and often handling the ball while Kansas was on offense.

G Wayne Selden Jr: 4.5

Seldon was an even less efficient scorer than Mason. He shot 3-12, although he was better from three, going two for six from that range. Seldon hit a clutch 3pt shot late in the game to take a one point lead at the time, but Michigan State ended up taking the lead back, and keeping it. Seldon scored twelve points total in the game. Seldon was not much of an asset defensively this game, and he turned the ball over twice.

G Devonte' Graham: 4

Graham seemed to disappear for long stretches. He ended up shooting just one for nine, and missed all four of his 3pt shots. For the game, he scored only four points, and also had four assists, while turning the ball over once. Through two games Graham is shooting only 20%, which is disappointing considering he was expected to become a much more prominent part of the offense this season as a starter. On the plus side though, Graham has averaged only a single turnover through two games, and has averaged six assists.

F Landen Lucas: 6

Lucas was the first man off the bench in this game, and also led Kansas reserves in minutes played. This was a changeup to the previous game when Carlton Bragg led backups in minutes. Lucas only scored two points on one for five shooting. However, he was a bigger factor on the defensive end. He also grabbed seven rebounds, in 14 minutes played. So, he grabbed a rebound every two minutes he was on the court.

F Carlton Bragg Jr: 5

Bragg made a quick impact on the game late in the first half after he made two jump shots in a span of a minute and thirty seconds. Those became the only two shots he took all game though. It's frustrating that Bragg started the game encouragingly, but then became a complete non-factor. Perhaps, the Jayhawks wanted to stay small to better defend MSU's three guards, and Lucas provided better rebounding—Bragg finished the game with zero rebounds. Bragg has the higher upside though, and if he is consistently hitting a mid range jumper, he could become a strong offensive player.

G Sviatoslav Mykhailuk: 5

Myhailuk came in and provided some solid minutes in the first half. The highlight of his night came in the first half when he grabbed a defensive rebound, and took the ball down the court, and finished at the rim on the other side. That was his only field goal though, and went one for four throughout the course of the game.He finished the game with four points, a rebound, and two assists, while playing twelve minutes.

C Chieck Diallo: N/A

I was incredibly disappointed that the NCAA did not make a decision regarding Chieck Diallo in time for this game. This was a game that I, like many others, had highlighted on the schedule, and it's a shame Diallo was not able to participate. I

Team Rating: 5.33

Kansas was playing very well in the first half led by Perry Ellis. Then Denzel Valentine took over in the second half, and Kansas had no answer for him. Kansas did a bad job of defending the inside. They let guards, Valentine, drive inside too easily, and posed no threat protecting the rim. The team blocked just one shot. They were also out rebounded 35 to 45. Despite these deficiencies, this was a game Kansas was in a position to win. They grabbed seven steals, and shot an incredibly impressive 80% from the free throw line. However, the Jayhawks ultimately scored due to inconsistent shooting by their guards, and Perry down the stretch. This would have been a much different game if Chieck Diallo had played. The two things Kansas struggled at most: defending the interior and rebounding, are what Diallo excels at.

Michigan State Spartans

F Matt Costello: 6.5

Michigan State is not a particularly big team, and Costello serves as their big man. He was not a huge part of the offense, but was a consistent contributor. He scored 10 points, shooting four of seven. He was in foul trouble since picking up a technical late in the first half, and picked up his fourth foul with seven minutes to go, and fouling out with less than a minute to play. However, Costello did well to stay in the game for quite a while down the stretch, and played some clutch defense down the stretch. His only block of the game came with less than a minute to go when he swatted a Wayne Seldon layup. Costello will be a big part of this team as the Spartan's biggest player. Luckily, he should get some help from top-50 recruit Devonta Davis.

F Javon Bess: 6

Despite starting the game, Bess only played 15 minutes. He did finish the game with four fouls, but that should not have effected his playing time too much. He picked up his second foul with about eight minutes to go in the first, and did not pick up a third foul until there was 13 minutes left in the second. Bess is an undersized forward, at 6'5. He blocked two shots, both of which came early in the first, and grabbed only a single rebound, which also came early in the first. Bess scored six points, shooting three of four, and all of his points were scored—you guessed it, in the first half. Bess was not playing poorly, so Tom Izzo must have kept Bess out much of the second half because Devonta Davis and Matt McQuaid were helping the team mount a comback. That's fair. Bess still played well in limited minutes, and should get more of an opportunity in the future.

G Denzel Valentine: 10

Denzel Valentine (funny, I definitely just typed “Denzel Washington” instead of Valentine. Oops.) is staking an early claim to National Player of the Year. He was responsible for Michigan State's comeback victory. Valentine scored 29 points, shooting 10-23, and 3-9 from three point range. More impressively though, Valentine had a triple-double as he also recorded 12 rebounds, and 12 assists. Michigan State made 28 field goals during this game. Valentine made 10 of them, and assisted another 12, which means there were only SIX field goals he did not have a direct hand in—that's 79% of Michigan State's offense.

And this is what a perfect-10 looks like.

G Bryn Forbes: 7

Forbes was primarily just a shooter last season; he shot 43% from three, and averaged just 1.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. This season does not appear to be much different. He finished the game with zero assists, and just one rebound. However, he does shoot really well, and scored 13 points on 4-8 shooting, and was 50%, 3-9, from three point range.

G Lourawls Nairn Jr: 3

Nairn is technically the “point guard” on this team, but really Valentine runs the offense, because he is a more highly skilled and dynamic player. So, Nairn is just an additional guard who does not shoot well. That is probably why he played only 15 minutes this game. Nairn scored two points, shooting one for five, and dished two assists.

F Devonta Davis: 6.5

Devonta Davis was Michigan State's highest touted recruit coming into this season. He is still a raw prospect on the offensive end, but is lauded for his rebounding, defensive abilities, and athleticism. Davis showed off his strengths in this game, grabbing six rebounds, and blocking two shots. He also scored four points, making one of his two field goal attempts. Davis was shown a lot of trust last night, as he played a lot in the second half, and the ended the game playing 23 minutes.

G Eron Harris: 2

Eron Harris was a standout player for West Virginia two years ago. He averaged over 17 points per game, and was expected to be one of the most impactful transfers this season. That has not panned out as of yet. Eron Harris has come off the bench in both games, and has only averaged 13.5 minutes and 3 points a game. Harris has struggled to score, shooting 27.3% from the field, and has yet to make a 3pt shot, these are the likely reasons he has yet to gain significant playing time for the Spartans. He scored two points, turned the ball over twice, and picked up three fouls in ten minutes this game.

G Matt McQuaid: 8

McQuaid is four-star freshman known for his ability to shoot the three. That is exactly what he did in this game. He scored nine points, shooting three for three from beyond the arc, and 3-5 overall. He also blocked a shot in the waning minutes of the game. The one negative part of his game last night, were the three turnovers he gave up. He will need to protect the ball better if he wants to continue to receive significant playing time.

F Colby Wollenman: 5.5

Wollenman came in and played some good minutes. He had six rebounds, three assists, and scored four points in just 13 minutes. Wollenman was responsible for a team high, three turnovers though, and again, in just 13 minutes.

Team Rating: 6.75

Michigan State did not look like a top-ten team in the first half. However, Denzel Valentine took his game to new level in the second half, and made every one on his team 5x better. He is a special college player, and by far the best I have seen play this year (and I've seen some good ones play: Kentucky freshmen Skal and Murray, Brice Johnson, Malcolm Brogdon, Buddy Hield, Perry Ellis, Cat Barber, Georges Niang, and Trevor Cooney...ha! I was just kidding about Cooney.) The rest of the players on this team are good, but there is no clear number two next to him. Costello, Bess, Forbes, and Nairn are all suited as role players, and although Davis has high upside, I don't think he reaches that level this season. That leaves Eron Harris. Harris showed he could be a top scorer while at West Virginia, and Michigan State needs him to be just that if they want to make a serious run in March. If Kansas had Chieck Diallo this game, I think Michigan State would have lost handedly. So, despite the win, they have quite a bit of work to do. Still, this is a very solid team, and I think they are definitely a top ten team. Right now, I definitely have them above Iowa State and Virginia of the teams I have seen. But, they are probably still behind Oklahoma. I will have my complete ranking of the teams I have seen this coming Monday. So, you will have to wait till then to see where Michigan State ends up.