LEXINGTON, Ky. — It looked so much like the same game on repeat, Kentucky’s 86-77 loss to Michigan State in the epic double-overtime opener to Tuesday’s Champions Classic coming in the same arena where the Cats lost in overtime to Saint Peter’s in the NCAA Tournament just eight months before.
In March, John Calipari’s Cats went 4 for 15 from 3-point range, 23 of 35 from the foul line and suffered defensive breakdowns in the crunch. Tuesday, John Calipari’s Cats went 7 of 25 from 3-point range, 16 of 24 from the foul line and suffered defensive breakdowns in the crunch.
“We got discombobulated,” Calipari said Tuesday of allowing State wide-open baskets at the end of regulation and the first OT.
One big difference, of course. The loss to the Peacocks was that Kentucky team’s 34th and final game. Tuesday’s loss to the Spartans was this Kentucky team’s third game.
“We’re just not ready to play against a team that is ready to finish out games,” said Calipari in his postgame press conference. “And that’s on me.”
But why not? Isn’t this Calipari’s most experienced collection at Kentucky? Do not the Cats boast an unusual mix of juniors and seniors, with some having actually spent more than a single season in the program?
“I told John it should be illegal for there to be that many seniors on a Kentucky team,” cracked Tom Izzo, the Michigan State coach and a Cal friend.
Didn’t Kentucky play four summer exhibition games in the Bahamas where the team could bond and grow comfortable at both ends of the floor?
“We’ve had guys hurt,” said Calipari of now compared to then. “We haven’t been able to practice together.”
True, Tuesday was the 2022-23 debut of Oscar Tshiebwe and the reigning national player of the year was fantastic, scoring 22 points and grabbing 18 rebounds in his first game since arthroscopic knee surgery. Had Tshiebwe not fouled out with 32.8 seconds left in the first overtime, the Cats might have won the thing right then and there.
Tuesday was also sophomore forward Daimion Collins’ first game since the tragic death of his father. Tuesday was also just the second game for point guard Sahvir Wheeler, who missed UK’s opener with a leg injury.
But hey, this was also Michigan State’s third game of the season. The Spartans are 2-1. And Izzo’s club had to fly all the way to San Diego to play a basketball game on an aircraft carrier last Friday — a 64-63 heartbreaker of a loss to No. 2-ranked Gonzaga — before returning to East Lansing in time to pack for Indianapolis.
“I’m so proud of this team,” said Izzo, who grew emotional recounting how his team had rebounded from the Gonzaga defeat.
Truth be told, that was the bottom-line difference Tuesday night. Michigan State had played in a white-knuckle, back-and-forth, possession-by-possession game against the Zags. UK had not. Its four summer exhibitions were Bahamas blowouts. Its two games last week were both Rupp Arena routs — 95-63 over Howard and 77-52 over Duquesne.
Against those two mid-majors, UK made 22 of its 43 3-point shots. Antonio Reeves was 10 of 18 from 3-point range. CJ Fredrick was 6 of 12. Against the scrappy Spartans, the duo was a combined 2 of 9 from 3 and 3 of 14 overall, however. Shots were not as easy to come by. Makes even less.
“I thought we did a good job of guarding them,” Izzo said.
Said Wheeler, “These things are fixable.”
“There’s no question that this is the best form of learning,” said Duke’s first-year coach, Jon Scheyer, after his Blue Devils lost to Kansas, 69-64, in Tuesday’s second game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. “And you probably learn more when you lose.”
For Kentucky, that’s the hope. It is early. It is a long, long season. As frustrating as it was to see mistakes repeated, there were bright spots in Tshiebwe’s 34 minutes, Cason Wallace’s record-tying eight steals and Wheeler’s 16 points and eight assists.
“Kentucky fans, don’t jump off the ship,” Izzo said. “I really do love Kentucky’s team.”
Same site, same result, but there’s much more time for this Kentucky team to learn from its mistakes.
