Kansas vs. Michigan State score, takeaways: No. 3 Jayhawks cruise behind Ochai Agbaji's thrilling performance

The Jayhawks made a statement on opening night Tuesday as the senior wing shined

No. 3 Kansas justified its lofty preseason ranking on Tuesday night by opening the 2021-22 college basketball season with an impressive 87-74 victory over Michigan State in the Champions Classic. The Jayhawks got a career-high 29 points from senior wing Ochai Agbaji and thrived in transition as they forced 16 Michigan State turnovers while adding a quality early win to their resume.

Agbaji and Arizona State transfer Remy Martin combined to score 20 straight points for Kansas early in the second half as the Jayhawks turned a 39-32 halftime lead into a double-digit advantage. The Spartans kept pace with 3-point shooting early in the half but soon ceded to the hot-shooting Jayhawks. After Michigan State cut the deficit to 12 with 4:44 remaining, Agbaji slammed the door again with a dunk off an inbounds pass from Dajuan Harris.

Martin finished with 15 points -- all coming in the second half -- to compliment Agbaji as the duo showed why they were both ranked among the top 20 in the annual CBS Sports Top 100 And 1 players ranking. Michigan State does not have a clear superstar yet, and that was evident Tuesday. Sophomore guard A.J. Hoggard led Michigan State off the bench with 17 points, but the Spartans got few other contributions from their backcourt.

Transfer guards take divergent paths

A key concern at halftime for both teams was the absence of contributions from their lead guards. Michigan State's Tyson Walker, a Northeastern transfer, didn't score in the first half and played just two minutes with two turnovers and one assist after picking up two fouls. Martin didn't even take a shot in the first half and committed two turnovers.

Both players are expected to be key contributors this season, and their collective absence from the box score was a surprising first half development. But Martin turned it on in the second half to help spark the Jayhawks. Walker, meanwhile, stayed quiet and finished with two points, three assists and three turnovers. He attempted just three shots in 20 total minutes and ceded much of the playmaking to Hoggard.

It's just a one-game sample size, but Hoggard made a compelling case to be in the starting lineup when the Spartans host Western Michigan on Friday.

Kansas shows depth

The Jayhawks deployed 11 players, and that didn't include returning starter Jalen Wilson, who is suspended for the season's first three games. For a team that struggled with depth last season, it was an encouraging sign. One of the more impressive bench performances came from true freshman Zach Clemence. The top-rated player in Kansas' 2021 signing class logged just four minutes, but he made them count.

A 6-foot-9 power forward, Clemence flashed his range and his athleticism with a made 3-pointer highlighting his seven-point outing in the first half. He also collected a couple of steals and three quick fouls during his brief time on the court. Freshman guard Bobby Pettiford also looked like a surefire contributor with five points, two assists and two rebounds in 11 minutes.

Kansas coach Bill Self will likely shave the rotation down at some point, but Tuesday's performance suggested this team is well-equipped to survive potential injuries and the other rigors of the season.

Michigan State's athleticism problem

The Spartans had no answer for Agbaji on the perimeter. While freshman shooting guard Max Christie did some nice things in his debut by finishing with nine points, he and senior wing Gabe Brown combined to go 7-of-19 from the floor and struggled to attack the basket.

While the Spartans have several quality bigs that can present matchup problems when playing together, that works both ways. Michigan State looked sluggish at times, which was evidenced in Kansas' 20-11 edge in fast-break points. The Jayhawks also dunked six times versus just one for Michigan State as the Jayhawks thrived both in transition and on set plays.

[Nov 9, 2021 at 9:16 pm ET · David Cobb]

Ochai Agbaji show

A career-high 29 points for Agbaji, and Remy Martin adds 15 in the second half. That duo was on fire to start the second half. Agbaji looks smart for coming back for another season. Michigan State finishes with six players between 8 and 17 points scoring, led by A.J. Hoggard. Overall, an impressive opening performance for Kansas.

[Nov 9, 2021 at 9:11 pm ET · David Cobb]

Spartans clawing

Michigan State is going down swinging here, but it feels like the Spartans waited too long to ramp up the intensity. Hard not to think how different this team might look if Emoni Bates was suiting up in green tonight and not instead of Memphis blue. There's just no clear star or go-to option for Michigan State. Never count out a Tom Izzo team -- this is just one night -- but someone will have to emerge as a star for this group.

[Nov 9, 2021 at 9:01 pm ET · David Cobb]

Slamming the door

Michigan State was trying to get back into it, but Ochai Agbaji just slammed the door with a dunk off a Dajuan Harris alley-oop on an inbounds play. It's 81-68 Jayhawks with 3:21 to go. Impressive performance from Kansas as it plays without Jalen Wilson. This tandem of Remy Martin and Ochai Agbaji could be special. Not often you get two seniors with this much talent on the same roster.

[Nov 9, 2021 at 8:49 pm ET · David Cobb]

Under 8

Bill Self was able to get Ochai Agbaji a breather there before the u8 timeout without ceding any ground to Michigan State. It's 71-56 Jayhawks with 7:51 to go. Looks like everyone except A.J. Hoggard has mailed it in for the Spartans. Tom Izzo tried to ignite the team with that tech, but it's only gotten worse since then. The No. 3 Jayhawks are living up to their ranking so far in this half.

[Nov 9, 2021 at 8:44 pm ET · David Cobb]

Kansas pulling away

Ochai Agbaji is up 25 points on 8-of-15 shooting and just threw down a transition dunk off a Christian Braun alley-oop that prompts a Michigan State timeout. 69-54 Jayhawks with 9:25 to go. The Spartans look slow, and outside of A.J. Hoggard, they are getting nothing from the guard/wing positions. Hard to see Michigan State suddenly finding life here unless a bunch of 3s start falling.

[Nov 9, 2021 at 8:37 pm ET · David Cobb]

Martin/Agbaji balling

The Kansas duo of Remy Martin and Ochai Agbaji has combined for 20 of Kansas' 22 points thus far in the second half as the Jayhawks have opened up a 61-50 lead at the u12 timeout. This offense looks close to midseason form, and Michigan State is on the ropes. The Spartans are getting very little from their back court. Surprised A.J. Hoggard has played just one minute in the second half after the way he sparked the team in the first half.

[Nov 9, 2021 at 8:34 pm ET · David Cobb]

Izzo heated

So we've got a Tom Izzo technical foul at the 13:01 mark, and Kansas leads it 58-48 after the technical free throws. Izzo was just yelling at a ref as Kansas dribbled the ball down the floor. To be fair, it looked like a foul. So Izzo's gripe is legitimate. But that won't help the Spartans stay in this game. MSU is in the danger zone here.

[Nov 9, 2021 at 8:31 pm ET · David Cobb]

Well, it's going to be close for Mitch Lightfoot on whether he finishes with more minute or fouls, but the Jayhawks are trying to get David McCormack a breather.

[Nov 9, 2021 at 8:25 pm ET · David Cobb]

Ochai Agbaji is cooking

Agbaji came in at No. 16 on Top 100 And 1 players ranking, and he's absolutely looking the part so far in this game. Consecutive dunks, including one off a steal he created, force a quick Michigan State timeout as KU quickly extends the lead to 7. Agbaji leads all scorers with 18 and is looking like this game's lone true superstar.

[Nov 9, 2021 at 8:20 pm ET · David Cobb]

Remy Martin gets going

After going scoreless in the first half, Martin hits a 3 and gets a transition layup to get going early in the second half. Michigan State's turnover woes still aren't fixed, but the Spartans are hanging around thanks to some hot 3-point shooting to start the second half. Hoggard, Brown and Hauser have each knocked one down for Sparty as we hit the u16 timeout with Kansas up 48-45.

[Nov 9, 2021 at 8:09 pm ET · David Cobb]

Second half storylines

Can Tyson Walker get going for Michigan State? What about Remy Martin for Kansas? Martin is a proven producer at a high level, so it would be more surprising if he's not a factor at some point. Walker is transferring up a level from Northeastern, so it was certainly no given that he would be an impact player. But that first half couldn't have gone much worse.

[Nov 9, 2021 at 8:02 pm ET · David Cobb]

Turnovers killing MSU

Michigan State's top-three guards (Walker, Christie, Hoggard) each have two turnovers. In total, MSU turned it over 11 times in the first half. Spartans lead 20-16 in paint points but trail 12-2 in points off turnovers.

[Nov 9, 2021 at 7:59 pm ET · David Cobb]

Freshmen playing big roles

Bill Self points out at halftime that his "young kids" played well. Indeed, Bobby Pettiford and Zach Clemence, both true freshmen, did some nice things off the bench. Clemence has seven points and two steals in just four minutes(!!!). Pettiford has three points and an assist in five minutes. Michigan State's freshman Max Christie an Jaden Akins did some nice things, too, but were less productive. Christie is 2-of-8 from the floor.

[Nov 9, 2021 at 7:52 pm ET · David Cobb]

Crucial stretch

Kansas is up 37-31 with 1:15 left in the first half. Critical stretch for Michigan State to keep it close. The Spartans have made just two 3s and have struggled with turnovers. Can't fall behind double-digits before half.