Kentucky MBB falls in double-OT thriller to Michigan State

Something about playing in Indianapolis just doesn’t seem to end well for the Kentucky Wildcats…

On Tuesday night, No. 4 Kentucky men’s basketball (2-1) fell to unranked Michigan State (2-1) 86-77 in double overtime at the 2022 Champions Classic. Reigning national player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe, who played his first game of the season and was dominant all night long, fouled out in the opening overtime period, which cracked the door for the Spartans to own the second OT. MSU outscored UK 15-6 in the final extra period.

Tshiebwe was the star of the night despite the loss for Kentucky, finishing with 22 points, 18 rebounds, and four blocks. He was aided by an impressive line of 14 points, five assists, and eight steals from freshman Cason Wallace while Sahvir Wheeler contributed 16 points and eight assists. Jacob Toppin rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points and four rebounds.

UK shot just 38.6 percent from the floor and 7-25 from distance. Michigan State outrebounded the ‘Cats by seven and shot 37 percent from deep. The Spartans were led by 23 points and eight rebounds by Joey Hauser along with 20 points and five rebounds from Malik Hall.

Final from Indy. pic.twitter.com/o93JV2RcHW

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) November 16, 2022

Right from the opening tip, Wallace made his presence felt on the defensive end, which would quickly become a theme throughout the night. Kentucky held the first lead, 6-4, at the opening media timeout and continued to maintain a small advantage for most of the half. The ‘Cats extended its lead to as many as seven around the eight-minute mark before the Spartans came alive.

At the halftime break, MSU held a slight 36-34 lead. UK was powered by five points, three assists, and five steals from Wallace along with 11 points and seven rebounds from Tshiebwe. Kentucky was just 2-10 from long range and being outscored 7-0 in fastbreak points.

Out of the locker room, Michigan State struck first to go ahead by five before the ‘Cats got rolling. A Toppin corner 3-pointer tied the game at 39 as the score would stay within five points for the rest of the second half. At the under 12-minute media timeout, Toppin and CJ Fredrick were both dealing with three fouls and it wasn’t long after that Tshiebwe was hit with his third, as well.

Later, a Michigan State jumper tied the game at 58 all, but a Toppin free throw followed by a Tshiebwe offensive rebound and putback layup gave Kentucky a three-point advantage with under two minutes to go in regulation. Another made jump shot from MSU cut the lead to one, which eventually led to an ill-advised mid-range look from Tshiebwe. The Spartans recovered with 35.6 seconds left trailing 61-60.

But Wallace showed up for the umpteenth time on the defensive end, forcing a jump ball after Michigan State’s shot in the lane with 18 seconds left didn’t fall. Fittingly, Wallace was fouled on the ensuing inbounds play, making one of two at the line. MSU called a timeout down 62-60 with 11 seconds left.

Tshiebwe blocked Michigan State’s first attempt out of bounds but the Spartans were then gifted a wide-open dunk to tie the game at 62. UK called a timeout and drew up a play that led to a halfcourt shot from Toppin that was nowhere close, sending the game into the first overtime.

Kentucky opened up the extra period with a pair of Toppin free throws and a Wheeler 3-pointer to take its first five-point lead since the first half. But MSU responded with five points of its own to tie it back up at 67-67 with roughly two minutes left.

As the clock neared 30 seconds, Tshiebwe was called for a moving screen, which fouled him out of the contest and gave Michigan State the ball back. The Spartans would tie the game up once again in the closing seconds as another overtime was on its way. Without Tshiebwe on the floor, Kentucky fell flat on both ends from there.

Michigan State went ahead 82-76 with under one minute left, all but sealing the loss for UK. The Spartans closed the deal with a 86-77 victory. A 16-24 clip (66.7 percent) from the free throw line for the ‘Cats played a major role in the disappointing outcome.

Up next for Kentucky is a matchup on Thursday against South Carolina State followed by a road showdown against No. 2 Gonzaga on Sunday.