Shooting woes cost Michigan State a chance at snatching a win from No. 1 Kansas in the 14th annual Champions Classic on Tuesday night.

The tough part to swallow for Spartan fans was that the result of the game pointed more to the bad from MSU (2-1) than the good from the top team in the country, especially in the first half. In order to pull off the upset, the Spartans were going to need perimeter shotmaking, especially after shooting just 25% from three-point land for the Monmouth and Niagara games.

That didn’t happen — MSU shot just 3-of-24 (12.5%) from beyond the arc for the game. The Spartans went just 1-for-11 in the first half and, while it felt like it would get better in the second frame, it didn't. Michigan State continued to get the looks from deep, but went just 2-for-13 in the second half.

In addition, Jaden Akins was neutralized throughout the contest. The senior only record two points, one rebound and one block in 26 minutes.

Frankie Fidler led the way for the Spartans on offense with a team-high 15 points - eight of which came at the free throw line - to go with eight rebounds.

For the Jayhawks (3-0), familiar foe Hunter Dickinson asserted himself. The Michigan transfer ended with 28 points and 12 rebounds. Every time Kansas needed points, coach Bill Self went to him.

Dickinson scored the game’s first six points by himself and Kansas’ initial eight points. The Jayhawks didn’t get any points from someone else until 9:54 into the game and didn’t get a made field goal from someone else until less than eight minutes remained in the first half.

The first half of the game was a bit of a mess for both sides. Kansas entered the halftime break up 30-24 after shooting just 36.1% from the field. MSU shot just 25.8%. It looked like it was going to be worse when the score was 30-20, but Jase Richardson converted a four-point play with less than two seconds on the clock to give MSU a little momentum heading into the locker room.

With every other Jayhawk cold, most of the green and white responded in kind. MSU’s starters only contributed six total points and shot just 2-for-18 from the field and 0-for-8 from deep going into halftime.

Entering the second half, Michigan State made the game even more competitive early on in the second half. The deficit was down to two once the under-16 timeout was reached and was tied for the first time in the half at 39 with just over 14 minutes to go.

The offenses really started to pick up from there for the first time all night, with both sides trading buckets. MSU and Kansas were tied at 41, 43, 45 and 52, turning a somewhat sloppy game into a gritty, fun game.

Michigan State tried desperately to take back the lead. It felt like it was inevitable that the Spartans would grab the lead back at some point, but every time the Spartans tied it up, Kansas had a response. The Jayhawks used a 6-0 run after MSU had tied it at 52 to return the game to the same state it was at halftime.

Still, the Spartans remained resilient. KU’s lead was cut back to three quickly, but the Jayhawks continued to keep MSU at arms-length.

Down the stretch, Kansas made its shots and MSU didn’t. The Jayhawks entered the final media timeout on an 8-2 run, pushing their lead to nine points and making Michigan State’s hopes for an upset bleak.

Michigan State continued to fight, but the threes still wouldn't drop until it was too late and time ticked away. Once the clock reached zeros, the scoreboard read Kansas 77, Michigan State 69.

Overall, though, there is still plenty for Michigan State fans to be optimistic about; not many teams shoot so poorly against a top team and stay in it until the very end, and that's because MSU showed great effort throughout.

The Spartans will be back in action this Saturday, as MSU will play host to Bowling Green. That game is slated for 6 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.

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