Men’s Basketball Drops Orlando Classic Final to Kansas

Michigan State Basketball went into the final round of the Orlando Classic looking like the team to beat. Squaring up against the No. 11 Kansas Jayhawks, there was a chance for Izzo’s squad to come out and take a game.

Instead, Spartan fans were left with a bit of a sour taste in their mouths. The Spartans lost 61-56 to the Jayhawks.

Travis Trice, one of the Spartan seniors, was 3-14 from the floor. Marvin Clark Jr. shot 0-7 from the three-point line. These shots were sort of a head scratcher if you watched the game. Clark had been shooting 11-for-18 with the long ball, but ended up with that ice-cold stat line.

Branden Dawson was 4-15 from the floor with eight points. This may have been the most frustrating performance on the day, as Dawson was missing guaranteed shots for someone with his athleticism.

Does this loss sting? Yes, but in the long run, it is a long season with a lot of time for this team to develop an identity. A win over Kansas early in the season would have been nice, but it does not affect that much.

The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame are still waiting in Wednesday’s matchup.

For now, there are positives to move forward with. Colby Wollenman came out and supplied quality defensive minutes against Perry Ellis. Denzel Valentine was 4-5 from the field and shot the ball very well on Sunday.

There is a game coming up this week, and There is nothing to fret over. Stay tuned for Wednesday’s matchup against the Irish at 7:15 PM.


Nick Carver is a multimedia journalist for Impact Sports

Photo: Scott Wasserman/Impact Sports