Kansas Basketball: Spartans have been problematic in Champions Classic
By Mike Norris
The 90-70 victory in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament for Kansas was a more important win than in the Champions Classic, but the two losses the Jayhawks suffered at the hands of the Spartans were within grasp.
Nov. 13, 2012 — No. 21 Michigan State 67, No. 7 Kansas 64
The first match-up between the schools in the Champions Classic came in the second year of the challenge. KU entered the game 1-0 after a romp of Southeast Missouri State at Allen Fieldhouse in their follow-up season after losing to Kentucky in the National Championship. The Jayhawks were considered the favorite in a game that would end up back and forth throughout.
The Jayhawks held a 35-32 halftime edge after neither team pull ahead by more than five points. The second half stayed close again until the much-maligned Naadir Tharpe canned a three-pointer at the 12:05 mark to give Kansas a seven-point margin. But Michigan State kept chipping away and claimed the lead again after a three-pointer by Keith Appling gave them a 54-53 lead with 6:54 to play.
It was back and forth until the final buzzer when fan-favorite Travis Releford missed a three-point attempt with five seconds remaining and the Spartans held on for the victory. Elijah Johnson and Ben McLemore were the only Jayhawks in double-figures with 16 and 14 points respectively while Jeff Withey recorded eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks.
Appling was the nemesis for Kansas, scoring a game-high 19 points on 3-of-3 shooting from downtown.