3 quick takes on Michigan State basketball's tight loss to No. 1 Kansas

Nothing screams "post-Cassius Winston Michigan State basketball" quite like a gritty loss against a top-ranked team in which it feels like the Spartans were at least equals but couldn't do enough late to pull off the upset.

That was the case once again on Tuesday night as Michigan State found itself in a dogfight with Kansas, but missed opportunities in a one-score or tied game really made the difference.

There were a number of instances in which Michigan State had a chance to tie or take the lead but it either missed a wide-open shot or gave the ball away on an unforced turnover. That's frustrating, but it's a good sign that this team has something to build on and the Spartans are better than people truly expected to begin the year.

Michigan State falls to 2-1 on the season and it plays again this weekend against Bowling Green.

Here are my early thoughts from the loss.

1. Jaden Akins, Xavier Booker were no-shows

Jaden Akins scored the Spartans' first two points of the game about three minutes in and can you guess how many points he finished with? It wasn't more than two. That's right, in the final 37-plus minutes of play, he had zero points and was just 1-for-8 on the night -- he missed a handful of wide-open 3-point attempts.

To compound those issues with Akins, Xavier Booker was also a ghost on Tuesday night, finishing 0-for-5 from the floor with zero points and one rebound and he just looked mentally lost. He played minimally in the second half.

Getting two total points from two guys who were supposed to be the team's best players this year is just unacceptable and that can't happen again.

2. Jaxon Kohler has taken a step

All aboard the Jaxon Kohler hype train. The junior big man from Utah has stepped his game up exponentially this year and he was averaging 12.5 points and 10.5 rebounds through the first two games and basically matched those numbers against the No. 1 team in the nation on Tuesday.

Kohler finished just 5-of-14 from the floor (four of those misses were from deep) but he had a strong 12 points and nine rebounds. He looks like a guy who will be a major piece to a title run this year.

3. Have to seize those opportunities

I know it's frustrating to lose games like these against elite teams, but Michigan State has been doing this for years and it usually ends up helping in the long run.

Yes, it's frustrating, but this team feels like it has what it takes to make a surprise run this season but it needs to find that stroke from long range and avoid those mental mistakes like turning the ball over pretty much any time it had a chance to tie or take a lead.

The opportunities were there for Michigan State to pull off the upset, but the sloppy mistakes and poor shooting from deep were the difference. This team was 1-2 plays away from an upset win.