Kansas Jayhawks fend off Michigan State 77-69 at Champions Classic as Self earns record win

The Kansas Jayhawks withstood their worst offensive night of the early season on Tuesday, knocking off the Michigan State Spartans 77-69 at the Champions Classic in Atlanta.

With the win, top-ranked KU is now 3-0 on the season, but in terms of historical significance, this week’s tilt in Atlanta was even bigger for coach Bill Self, even if he tried to downplay it.

Self is now the winningest coach in Kansas history, surpassing the legendary Phog Allen with his 591st victory.

“Let’s not get this twisted, Phog Allen coached there for 39 years,” Self said after the game. “The building is named after him. He recruited Wilt. He got Allen Fieldhouse built. He won a national championship in ’52. He recruited and coached the two best big men in the world. There’s a lot of things that he did in his time that goes unnoticed because it wasn’t nearly as popular as what it is now and is recognizable. So I’m not getting too carried away with that.”

Whether or not Self wants to shine the spotlight on himself, the program wins record is just the latest historic accolade for the Hall of Famer. It’s the newest addition to a resume that includes two national championships, three Final Fours (and another vacated one) and the 12th most wins overall in Division I history.

The game itself wasn’t anything worth celebrating until the final horn sounded. Neither team found an offensive rhythm in the first half, but senior center Hunter Dickinson was the difference maker for the Jayhawks. In fact, he was the only KU player to make a field goal in the first 12 minutes of the game.

Dickinson played one of his most dominant games in a Kansas uniform Tuesday night, going 13-of-21 from the floor for 28 points, plus 12 rebounds and three steals. The rest of the Jayhawks combined to shoot 15-of-48 (31.3%) from the floor.

Senior guard Dajuan Harris also scored in double figures, going 7-of-7 at the free throw line en route to 11 points, while junior guard Rylan Griffen tacked on 10 points.

Michigan State shot just 34.8% from the floor as a team and just 12.5% from three-point range in the losing effort.

The Jayhawks will return home to Lawrence on Saturday for their next game and a matchup with the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, one of the biggest stories of last season’s NCAA tournament. That game will tip off at 5:00 p.m.

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