Watch the Tape: Michigan State Spartans

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Should we start with a breathing exercise? Does anyone need a drink? This might not be the most fun thing you read today. However, it will answer some questions and concerns following Kentucky’s 86-77 double-overtime loss to the Michigan State Spartans. Hopefully, in the end, you’ll be able to get a good night’s sleep and be ready to watch the Wildcats back in action on Thursday evening.

It’s only human nature to cast blame when things don’t go your way. Kentucky should have beaten Michigan State. Instead, the ‘Cats lost and therefore it has to be someone’s fault. Head coach John Calipari doesn’t run offense and Sahvir Wheeler can’t make plays are some common themes if you read Twitter. Those will essentially be dispelled after breaking down the film. Instead, crucial missed free throws, turnovers, and poor defensive awareness cost Kentucky in Tuesday night’s Champions Classic. Let’s dive on into the film room and discuss how the Michigan State Spartans escaped with a win.

Early Offensive Execution

Once Oscar Tshiebwe and Sahvir Wheeler checked into the game, Kentucky’s offense looked pretty darn good in stretches. Wheeler was dominating off of the ballscreen while Tshiebwe controlled the paint as usual. The Wildcats were executing in the half court, running good offensive action, and putting points on the board. For stretches, this didn’t look like a team that had offensive issues. Later in the game (we will cover that down below), it was more a lack of execution than a lack of calling the right plays. However, in the first half, the ‘Cats were hitting on both accounts.

There is so much pressure put on the Michigan State Spartans defense when Oscar Tshiebwe ballscreens for Sahvir Wheeler. #15 is worried about getting out on the hedge against Wheeler, so the UK point guard rejects the screen and gets to the rim. This is an under-control, on-balance drive. Wheeler plays off of two feet, pivots, and finds Oscar Tshiebwe for the and-1. Simple, but effective offense.

You don’t have to run Coach Bob Knight’s blocker/mover Motion to have good offense. Put the ball in your best player’s hands and play to their strengths. Sahvir Wheeler is good at driving the ball left and using his elite quickness. So, CJ Fredrick cuts through, Jacob Toppin runs up for a “ghost” screening action, and that leaves Wheeler one-on-one to attack an entire side of the floor. The Spartans have no chance at guarding this.

This is the very next possession following the clip above. Wheeler just scored off of the Toppin ghost screen driving to his left. As a counter, Coach Calipari dials up what appears to be the same play. However, Wheeler rejects the screen this time and catches his defender anticipating the left-hand drive. He misses the scoop, but Lance Ware is there for the tip-in. Two points is two points. Excellent play call.

Jacob Toppin picked up his second foul with 8:32 to play in the second half and the Michigan State Spartans went on an immediate 8-0 run. Following a timeout, Kentucky came out and ran a masterful play call to get Oscar Tshiebwe a bucket and stop the bleeding. Great post feed by Antonio Reeves, great positioning by Tshiebwe, and an athletic finish. Offensive play calls and execution were on point.

Major Defensive Struggles Guarding Joey Hauser

Joey Hauser is a good basketball player and an excellent shooter. He has scored 897 career points and made 127-322 three-point attempts (39.4%). However, the Michigan State graduate student was made to look like an All-American on Tuesday night in Indianapolis. It was a complete and utter breakdown by the Wildcats defensively. Lack of preparation, in-game adjustments, and poor awareness are all to blame for allowing Joey Hauser, and to some extent Tyson Walker, to have big nights from beyond the arc.

Throughout the pregame KSR Scouting Report, we talked about the importance of going under the ballscreens and handoffs. #11 Hoggard, the Michigan State Spartans point guard, is a non-shooter. However, he is an excellent passer. This corner three is given up directly because Cason Wallace is trying to fight OVER the ballscreen. Lance Ware has to corral the ball and Sahvir Wheeler has to step in to help on the roll. That leaves #2 Walker wide open filling up on the wing. Go UNDER and there is no rotation.

There is nothing flashy about this play call. Coach Izzo runs a lot out of sets from a Horns alignment. After the entry pass, #10 Hauser walks down to the block to misdirect the defense. That simple action worked to perfect against Daimion Collins. The sophomore is simply not equipped yet to chase a shooter like Hauser off of screens like this. Michigan State was really singling Collins out defensively in the first half. Hauser’s first three three-pointers were all allowed by Collins.

The Joey Hauser three-pointers became equal opportunity in the second half. After splashing threes on Daimion Collins, Jacob Toppin was the culprit in this clip. When guarding a shooter of this caliber, you should not have ANY responsibilities other than taking away catch-and-shoot threes. However, Toppin helps in on the roll and gives up a fourth three-pointer to Hauser.

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There is essentially nothing you can do as a defender when asked to guard a downscreen one-on-one. You have to receive some help at the point of the screen. Oscar Tshiebwe needs to be up with a hand in the passing lane helping as Hauser comes off. Kentucky runs this exact same action a lot for CJ Fredrick and Antonio Reeves — they would love it if they ever could come off this unimpeded.

Lack of Execution in First Overtime

Coaches can’t play the game. Basketball isn’t a video game where you can move the chess pieces around how you want. Coach Calipari, contrary to popular belief, was putting his team in the best position to score down the stretch. However, the execution simply wasn’t where it had been earlier in the evening. That is what happens sometimes on November 15th. The film room will be very valuable for Kentucky between now and Sunday’s tip-off at Gonzaga.

If you are a University of Kentucky Basketball fan, what is your idea of the perfect offensive possession? A catch on the block for Oscar Tshiebwe is probably at, or near, the top of that list. That should have been the result of this play with just under three minutes to go with the Wildcats up three points. Tshiebwe comes off of the cross-screen and is wide open on the block. However, Cason Wallace doesn’t deliver the pass to him. Instead, he waits too long, throws a weak bounce pass across his body, and turns it over. Not much Coach Calipari can do about that.

Similar to the clip above, Coach Calipari schemed up a deep post catch for Oscar Tshiebwe. This time, the ball actually gets to him on the block. Unfortunately, the reigning National Player of the Year just misses this one. If Tshiebwe makes this there is a very good chance the Wildcats win the game. Making or missing this shot shouldn’t change any of our opinions really on how Kentucky played or how the coaching staff coached. Sometimes players miss shots. Even the best ones.

There is no reason for Sahvir Wheeler to chase #11 Hoggard all the way out of bounds. You WANT your man to catch the ball moving toward the baseline. That got Wheeler out of position to chase back down the floor. Also, Jacob Toppin should have stayed in at the rim instead of running out to #3 Akins. Just poor decision-making by the Wildcats in crunch time.

Sahvir Wheeler Second Overtime Playmaking

With Oscar Tshiebwe on the bench, expectations weren’t high for overtime number two. However, Kentucky once again built an early lead and was still executing some things on the offensive end. The game was far from perfect. Every person from Coach Calipari down the bench has to look in the mirror and improve. It was not the all-systems failure that many made it out to be though. The Michigan State Spartans are a very good basketball team. So are the ‘Cats. This one just went the other way.

Here is Kentucky’s second offensive possession of the second overtime period. For all the postgame flack that Sahvir Wheeler caught, this is a pretty darn good play. Much like Coach Calipari, he is a guy who catches a lot of blame but doesn’t get the subsequent praise when things go well. Throughout this game, Wheeler put the Wildcats on his back from a playmaking standpoint multiple times. Under control, playing off of two feet, and a perfect pass to Cason Wallace in the corner.

Sahvir Wheeler will catch essentially 100% of the blame for traveling on this play. Kentucky is still only down two points with a chance to tie it with 90 seconds remaining. It goes into the book as a turnover on Wheeler. However, take a look at who Coach Calipari is yelling at. Jacob Toppin didn’t run the play, was in the way, and caused Wheeler’s travel. This was supposed to be the ghost screen action — remember the play that got back-to-back buckets in the first half — but Toppin decided to improvise and cut back away from Wheeler. #10 Hauser stayed in there and cut off the driving lane that would have been open had Toppin run through to the opposite wing as called.