Sitting at No. 4 in the country with a 2-0 record, the Kentucky Wildcats looked impressive after one week – albeit against less competition.
The Wildcats faced their first true challenge on Tuesday night against Michigan State in the Champions Classic. With Oscar Tshiebwe announced to make his season debut, putting the Wildcats back at full strength for the first time this season, it was an opportunity to make a statement.
However, the Wildcats fell short 86-77 in double overtime, but the final doesn’t tell the full story.
The Spartans entered Tuesday’s contest coming off a one-point loss to No. 2 Gonzaga, a game where they proved their defense was the real deal, and they brought the same level of defense on Tuesday.
Simply put, Kentucky struggled to find any offensive rhythm and looked like a shell of what they showed in the first two games of the season, shooting just 38.6 percent from the field and 28 percent from three.
While Oscar Tshiebwe had his typical 22-point, 18-rebound double-double, only three other players scored more than 5 points. Not to mention, Kentucky’s two leading scorers, CJ Fredrick and Antonio Reeves shot just 3-14 from the field.
Despite that, the Wildcats controlled the majority of the game, leading for over 33 minutes compared to just 7 minutes led by Michigan State. As Tom Izzo said after the game, “it’s about what you do at the end.”
Let’s take a deeper look at the disappointing loss.
Free Throws
Up 61-60 with 15.8 seconds left in regulation, then up 70-69 with 7.6 seconds left in the first overtime, the Wildcats had two great opportunities to close out the game with free throws.
However, in both cases, Cason Wallace made just 1 of 2 and the Spartans answered with a basket to extend the game.
Under three minutes in regulation through the end of the game, the Wildcats shot just 7-12 (58.3%) from the free throw line, which isn’t too far off from their season average. In fact, Kentucky’s season average is just 60.5 percent, which is ranked 309th of 352 D-1 teams.
For a team that shot over 50 percent from three entering Tuesday’s contest and has several capable shooters, the Wildcats must improve on their free throws to pull out close games.
Offensive Struggles
Entering Tuesday night’s game, Kentucky was ranked top three in offensive efficiency according to KenPom. With that said, it did not look like it.
In their first two games, without the paint presence that Oscar Tshiebwe is, Kentucky put up an average of 77 points. In those games, the offense looked to have much better spacing, which allowed them to score inside and out, shooting over 50 percent from the field and three.
On Tuesday night, the offense looked much like it did last season. The reason for that could be that they reverted to what they knew after not practicing as a full team for six weeks.
As proof of that, three of Kentucky’s double-digit scorers were returnees – Toppin, Tshiebwe, and Wheeler – also showing that the stage may have been too big for some this early. As for the rest – Collins-Fredrick-Livingston-Reeves-Ware – combined for just 13 points on, shooting just 4-19 (21%) from the floor.
On a side not, one of the more perplexing things from the game is why Fredrick and Reeves – Kentucky’s two leading scorers – did not play together more to help with the struggling offense. In fact, they played together for just 4 minutes and 39 seconds.
It is much more difficult to stop Fredrick, Reeves, and Tshiebwe together, rather than just two of them.
Late Game Execution
Up two with less than 5 seconds left in regulation, then up 2 with less than 10 seconds in overtime, chances were very high for a win barring a collapse. Yet, that is what happened TWICE, as Kentucky allowed two wide-open layups to Michigan State and allowed them to tie the game.
It wasn’t just defensive lapses, but the offense as well.
With 5:23 to go in regulation, Kentucky led 56-52 after a CJ Fredrick 3-pointer. Over the final 15 minutes (including two OTs), the Wildcats made just 5 of 19 shots and had seven turnovers and three assists. In the second overtime alone, Kentucky jumped out to 76-73 a minute in, but missed their last six shots as the Spartans went on a 13-1 run to end the game.
Down the stretch, when it mattered, Michigan State executed and Kentucky didn’t.
John Calipari made sure to take the blame for that as well, “When it comes to late-game situations, that’s on me as a coach. Let’s get that figured out.”
Don’t Jump Ship
It is a disappointing loss, but it was to a quality team, in double overtime, and in November. After the game, Tom Izzo had a message for the Big Blue Nation, “Kentucky fans, don’t jump off the ship. That’s a really good team.”
Looking at the schedule in the preseason, one would think that Kentucky would probably go 1-1 between Michigan State and Gonzaga. With the game against Gonzaga on Sunday, this team also has a chance to redeem themselves.
Kentucky will look to bounce back against South Carolina State on Thursday night at 7:00 PM EST on the SEC Network.
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