Kansas vs. Michigan State: Score and Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2017

After a tense back-and-forth battle, the Kansas Jayhawks finally pulled away from the Michigan State Spartans to earn a 90-70 win and a trip to the Sweet 16 in the 2017 NCAA men's basketball tournament.

Kansas exploded for a 36-17 run to close things out Sunday after Michigan State cut the score to 54-53 with just over 12 minutes to play in the second half. 

Things were flowing Kansas' way late in the first half. The Jayhawks held an 11-point lead with less than two minutes to go before the break after a 13-2 run. 

The Spartans chopped that deficit to five points thanks to a Joshua Langford three-pointer and three free throws from Miles Bridges. The rare Michigan State player who could go to the NBA after his freshman season, Bridges was terrific with 22 points and eight rebounds in defeat.

Sunday's first half was eerily similar to how Michigan State fell behind 10-0 right out of the gate against Miami in the round of 64 before turning on the engine to breeze to a 78-58 win.

Kansas is a vastly superior team to the Hurricanes, but ESPN Stats & Info provided a nugget that cast more doubt in the minds of Jayhawks fans:

Landen Lucas, in particular, was doing his part to help Kansas avoid another tournament letdown. Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star offered this first-half assessment of the senior standout:

Starting the second half, Kansas again looked to be taking control by stretching the lead to eight at 50-42 with 16:30 to play. The Spartans got within one four minutes later on Alvin Ellis III's layup, prompting a reaction from notable MSU alum Draymond Green, via NCAA March Madness:

That was the last straw for Michigan State, as Kansas put all the pieces together and showed why it was one of the nation's best teams throughout the season. The Jayhawks extended their lead to 71-64 thanks to Lucas' exclamation point, as NCAA March Madness showed:

Making the final margin more impressive for Kansas is that it came in a game when Frank Mason III struggled with his shot, as he went 6-of-16 from the field, though he still had 20 points. 

ESPN's Michael Wilbon singled out the Jayhawks' hero of the game:

Josh Jackson led Kansas' offensive attack with 23 points, two steals and two blocks. As he continues to get more comfortable on the tournament stage, the depth that the Jayhawks are able to attack opponents with becomes overwhelming.

Michigan State didn't have a typical season by its lofty standards, losing 15 games, but this was a huge statement win for Bill Self's team. 

It's been nine years since Kansas won a national title, and it lost in the round of 32 in 2014 and 2015. However, things are working in their favor heading into the Sweet 16 against Purdue. 

Postgame Reaction

Self praised the way his team fought in a game that he noted was much closer than the 20-point gap would seem to indicate. 

"The final margin didn't dictate what a hard game it was," he said, per Bobby Nightengale of the Lawrence Journal-World. "When they cut to one, we played our best ball. Fun to see."

The Kansas head coach also pointed out this was the kind of game that only happened because of what the team went through during the regular season. 

"We've played in a lot of close games," Self said, per Nightengale. "Maybe more than people think we should've, but those moments helped define us when [the] game [was] on line."

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo had an interesting thought about his approach to the regular season with lineups and how it prepared the Spartans for the tournament.

"I have zero interest in winning games," he said, per Casey Harrison of the State News. "I have interest in winning championships, and I want to see my kids play on stages like this."

The Spartans leader followed that with high praise for his players and their effort this season. 

I haven't been prouder of a team than this one," Izzo said, per David Harns of isportsweb.com. "There were many times over the year that they could've folded...and they didn't."