Kansas vs. Michigan State: Score and Twitter Reaction from Orlando Classic 2014

Kansas and Michigan State each failed the first major test of their season. The Jayhawks wouldn't allow that to happen again.   

Perry Ellis scored a game-high 17 points, Frank Mason had a double-double and Kansas' defense zeroed in down the stretch to earn a hard-fought 61-56 victory over Michigan State to take the 2014 Orlando Classic on Sunday.

The Jayhawks held Michigan State to just 20 points in the second half, as the Spartans consistently failed to create open shots. With the game still within reach following two Jamari Traylor free throws, Kansas held Michigan State to just one field-goal attempt in the final 30 seconds amid a chaotic possession that included multiple Tom Izzo timeouts.

Ellis, who also added nine rebounds, was named the tournament MVP. He carried the Kansas offense at times during the first half and finished each of the Orlando Classic games with at least 17 points.

With both teams riding winning streaks coming into Sunday, this matchup served as a barometer of their progress. Kansas had won four of its first five games by double digits, but the lone exception was a 72-40 thrashing at the hands of Kentucky. Michigan State's four-game winning streak came after a disappointing 81-71 loss to Duke, which continuously punctured the middle of the Spartans defense.

Following Friday's win over Tennessee, Kansas coach Bill Self told reporters that the Jayhawks still haven't realized their offensive potential despite recent improvement:

"

If you take away (the season opener against) Santa Barbara, which we didn’t shoot the ball at all, and you take away Kentucky, we’ve actually looked pretty good offensively. But you don’t do that; you don’t take away certain games. You got to look at the whole package. I think that we’ve been above average since the Kentucky game, but still not good enough.

"

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Facing Michigan State was a particularly tall task for Kansas freshmen Cliff Alexander and Kelly Oubre, who had a combined 14 points against Kentucky. And for the second straight time, it became clear why Self is still hesitant to give the highly touted players extended minutes.

Alexander was held to six points on 1-of-5 shooting, also continuing to struggle from the free-throw line (4-of-7). The 6'8" forward was more of a consistent presence on the defensive end with four blocks and eight rebounds, but it's clear he's still a work in progress.

“He’s starting to get it,” Self told reporters earlier this week. “When he learns how to use his body and play to angles and things like that, he’ll be a hard (person to) guard in there for sure.”

Oubre, who has been particularly slow to pick up defensive rotations, was held scoreless. He's seen his minutes drop into the single digits in four of Kansas' six games.

Taking Oubre's place as the Jayhawks' breakout freshman guard has been Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, who continues to show signs of improvement as his playing time increases. The Ukrainian scored 11 points and was 4-of-10 from the floor, including a last-second three-pointer that sent the Jayhawks into the break down, 36-35.

Still only 17 years old, Mykhailiuk's ascent has been eye-opening. He was just a 3-star recruit on 247Sports' composite rankings upon his arrival in Lawrence, receiving a fraction of the attention of Alexander and Oubre. That he's moved into the starting lineup and showing more aggressiveness with his shot is promising, especially with Wayne Selden struggling.

Selden finished with five points, missing all 10 of his field-goal attempts. The sophomore guard, expected to emerge as a potential first-round pick in 2014-15, is in the midst of a miserable slump. He entered the championship game making only one-third of his shots and has hit the 50 percent mark only once all season. 

Michigan State, which had been buoyed more by its offense than its defense thus far, can relate to notion of the rim appearing to have a lid. The Spartans shot 32.2 percent from the floor and hit just six of their 17 three-point shots. 

Travis Trice had 14 points but was 3-of-14 from the field. Branden Dawson made 4-of-15 shots en route to eight points, continuing his slow start that's halted the team's offensive progress. 

There were multiple stretches in the second half when the Spartans were held without a point, and the Michigan State bench didn't help matters with its seven points. Freshman Marvin Clark Jr., who came into Sunday shooting 62.5 percent and 61.1 percent from three, missed each of his seven shots and did not score a point. Clark has two total points in Michigan State games against ranked opponents.

It's unlikely that Michigan State coach Tom Izzo's attitude toward his team has changed since Friday, when he lamented the Spartans' lack of toughness.

"I got punched in the mouth and so did my players," Izzo told reporters. "And we're either gonna grow from that and learn from it, or we're gonna just be a mediocre team. I like my chances that we'll step up and so hopefully this will be a great game."

Reinhold Matay/Associated Press

Having lost a bevy of players from last year's Elite Eight outfit, Michigan State is more top-heavy than at any point in recent memory. It's unlikely Izzo and Co. can survive many games where Trice, their leading scorer and assist man, doesn't bring his A-game. Denzel Valentine's tournament play was more than encouraging after his slow start, but the Spartans have yet to put together a game where they look like a cohesive unit.

With a trip to South Bend coming up this week to face a 6-1 Notre Dame squad, Izzo will have to go back to the drawing board fast. Then again, the same goes for Self, who will need to prepare his team for a visit from No. 18 Florida on Friday.

After what we saw Sunday, both coaches will have their work cut out.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter