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Kentucky (2-1) lost to Michigan State (2-1) last night in the State Farm Champions Classic, 86-77 in double overtime. Although unranked, Michigan State's only loss this season was a 1-point loss to #2 Gonzaga. After missing the first two games, the game marked the return of National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe. In his first action of the season, Tshiebwe did not disappoint, pouring in 22 points and grabbing 18 rebounds, while blocking 4 shots in 34 minutes of action.
What did disappoint Kentucky fans was the play of our designated 3-point shooters, CJ Fredrick and Antonio Reeves. Frederick and Reeves went a combined 3-14 from the field, knocking down only three 3-pointers in the contest, and showing little threat or productivity in the game. Frederick had no rebounds, no assist, and no steals to add in his 32 minutes of action, and Reeves managed only 1 rebound and 1 assist in the 22 minutes he was on the floor. If Kentucky is going to realize any dreams this year, production from those two must be improved.
Sahvir Wheeler did not start the game, still recovering from two minor knee injuries, with limited practice and not yet fully in condition. Despite that, he played 40 minutes during the game, productive early and midway through the game, but seeming to falter late. Star Freshman guard Cason Wallace tied an all-time Kentucky record with 8 steals in the game, chipping in 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, but he, too, faltered late, possibly due to fatigue in the 44 minutes he was on the floor. Both guards had turnovers and missed free throws that could have sealed the contest down the stretch.
Jacob Toppin seem to be out of sorts after early foul trouble placed him on the bench, and some officiating that could have caused him to scratch his head, in addition to his mouth and lip. Although he added 10 points in the game, including 1-3 from long range, and 4 rebounds, Kentucky needs more than that from him in 31 minutes.
Officiating appeared to be somewhat of an issue, although good teams managed to overcome these things, and often they are not as bad as we believe. I do not believe it is productive to identify certain plays, because there are many different plays during a game and some of them will be called for you and against you, but a fair reading of the officiating appears that they were subpar. Our own Ronald "Doc" Ball graded the officiating as an "F" in his Report Card, a grade that may be supported by their performance. A popular Twitter follow, @jwasports (former head of NCAA Officiating, John W. Adams) graded the officiating as no better than a C+, pointing out deficiencies as they occurred in real time during the game. He also noted before the game that it was heavily Big 10 oriented, although these contests attempt to get officials who generally work both leagues, that was not the case here.
It can be difficult to identify coaching issues in most games, but clearly at the end of the game Michigan State was more prepared to close the game out than Kentucky. Head coach John Calipari said "We are not ready for teams that can finish off games. We haven't had time, we haven't had the team here and some of it is on me. In a game like this, they executed better than we did. That's on me." I'll take him at his word here, as there were several plays that resulted in Michigan State staying in the game with an easy open lay up or dunk as Kentucky appeared ready to win. Lance Ware indicated they had not worked on any out of bounds plays yet; a comment that was easy to believe if you watched the game.
Are these warning signs for Kentucky? Maybe. Maybe not. Kentucky has traditionally struggled early with some basic fundamental basketball principles under Calipari, but usually those struggles have occurred with freshman-dominated teams. Although Kentucky has talented freshmen, they have a plethora of experience, including many players who were on the same team last year. If a team beginning a new year has not worked on something, however, and there are new moving parts (i.e., players), I think a fair argument can be that the experience of prior players won't necessarily help the team when they haven't worked on those situations in the new year.
Eight of the 17 teams Kentucky has had make the Elite Eight or better since 1985 lost one of their first 3 games. So losing this game does not necessarily indicate Kentucky will fall short of their dreams this season. In addition, the matchup against Michigan State was a brutal one for Kentucky this early in the season. Michigan State made the game physical, ugly, and of course, they were well prepared to face another elite team after their 1-point loss against Gonzaga. I think it was an ideal game for Kentucky to play, as games may occur in the NCAA Tournament where you will have to grind out a win. Kentucky should be talented enough to win games against other teams where the game is flowing better. Learning how to win the games where it is not may determine how far Kentucky progresses at the end of the season.
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