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The No. 10 ranked Michigan State Spartans gave the top team in the country all they could handle in Tuesday’s season opener. In the end, the Kansas Jayhawks showed why they’re the No. 1 team in the country by holding off a second-half surge from the Spartans for a 92-87 win. While quite a few things on the Kansas side stood out, none were more impressive than the play of freshman guard Quentin Grimes.
The No. 8 prospect in the ESPN Top 100 rankings for the class of 2018, Grimes hit the ground running in his collegiate debut. He poured in 21 points on 7-14 shooting from the field and a superb 6-10 from beyond the arc.
Grimes’ performance was good enough to go down in Big 12 history, as STATS revealed. He now holds the record for most 3-pointers made by a freshman in the conference during their first game.
Kansas’ Solid Start, Led by Grimes
Grimes stepped up in a big way when needed most. A large part of this was due to the fact that the Jayhawks’ best player struggled with his shot on Tuesday night. Dedric Lawson made just 5-18 shots, but due to his pure ability to dominate games, still finished the night with 20 points, 14 rebounds and six assists.
Fortunately for Kansas fans, this starting lineup is exceptionally talented and they have a few players on the bench capable of stepping up as well. But when Grimes is shooting the ball like this, the Jayhawks are going to be a tough team to beat.
Bill Self’s squad has a few tough matchups ahead, but their next game against a ranked team will come on Saturday, December 15 when they welcome the No. 9 ranked Villanova Wildcats.
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