Cats Can't Close Late, Fall 86-77 to Michigan State in Double Overtime
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INDIANAPOLIS — Kentucky basketball was unable to close out a game late inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, ultimately losing in overtime.
Sound familiar?
Around eight months removed from the Wildcats' shocking NCAA Tournament loss to Saint Peter's, No. 4 Kentucky succumbed the same fate in the same venue, dropping an instant classic to Michigan State, losing 86-77 in double overtime.
UK is now 5-7 in Champions Classic events, with three of those losses coming in Indianapolis. The Wildcats and Spartans have now split four meetings in the history of the event.
Ultimately, the Cats' lack of continuity came back to haunt as an additional 10 minutes of game-time slowly favored the Spartans. The game featured 14 ties and 10 lead changes.
"We did enough to win the game, but we were discombobulated at times," Kentucky head coach John Calipari said post-game. "We just haven't practiced together .. we've had three guys out that you expect to play."
All three of those players were on the floor, blatantly highlighted by the return of National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe.
Despite missing four weeks of practice and almost an entire preseason, the superstar center played 32 minutes of Oscar basketball, racking up 22 points and 18 rebounds. He would foul out in the first overtime period, proving to be a severe detriment towards the Cats' chances of squeaking out a win.
"For Oscar to do what he did without playing for four weeks and never practicing, c'mon, that's ridiculous," Calipari said. "Somebody hit me and said, 'you have (Oscar) on a minute restriction?' I said 'yeah, as many as he can play."
"It was a hard prep," Michigan State (2-1) head coach Tom Izzo said about preparing to play Kentucky with or without Tshiebwe. "Oscar isn't Oscar yet."
Tshiebwe had nearly half of Kentucky's 38 rebounds, while the Spartans finished with 45, led by eight from both Mady Sissoko and Joey Hauser. For Hauser, his 23 points led Sparty to a marquee win on a big stage:
"I can't write this story better," he said. "Got to take the momentum and ride with it."
Sissoko also wrangled in a career-high 16 points on 5-10 shooting, proving his worth having now played well against both Tshiebwe and Gonzaga's Drew Timme.
"Unbelievable," Calipari said of Sissoko. "They got a guy they can throw lobs to which are my guys — how we usually play — I was trying to get guys to the rim.
The Spartan forward credited part of his late-game explosion to not having to deal with Tshiebwe down low, noting it became "absolutely" easier to do what he wanted in the paint.
UK (2-1) missed out on multiple opportunities to ice the Spartans, bricking potential game-sealing free throws while also collapsing on defense in do-or-die moments.
Sharpshooters CJ Fredrick and Antonio Reeves were both ice cold, shooting a combined 3-14 from the field. The Spartan defense held the guard combo in-check, denying transition opportunities and keeping pressure on the perimeter.
As a team, Kentucky forced 18 turnovers in regulation, yet none in the pair of overtime periods. Crucial miscues bit hard late, propelling the Spartans forward while leaving a bad taste in the mouth of the many members of Big Blue Nation who made the trip to Indianapolis.
"We're not ready for teams that are ready to finish off games, that's on me," Calipari said. "We got so much work to do."
Izzo provided som re-assurance to BBN after his team's big win, acknowledging his love for this edition of Kentucky:
"They will be a great team, so all of the Kentucky fans, don't jump off the ship, they're really good."
Luckily for Kentucky, there's not much time to dwell on the teeth-grinding defeat, as game four of the 2022-23 regular season is right around the corner. South Carolina State (0-3) will enter Rupp Arena this Thursday just three days removed from a 96-71 loss to Duquesne, a team the Wildcats just thumped by 25 points.
Tip-off between the Wildcats and Bulldogs is set for 7 p.m. EST on Nov. 17 and will air on the SEC Network.
Wildcats Today will have more post-game coverage from Gainbridge Fieldhouse following the double-overtime defeat.
Four Takeaways from the loss can be found here.
