Kentucky's recent struggles in the Champions Classic continued Tuesday night in Indianapolis as the No. 4 Wildcats repeatedly left the door open for a Michigan State comeback, and the Spartans eventually walked in.
The Cats blew leads inside the final seven seconds of both regulation and the first overtime before ultimately succumbing to the Spartans 86-77 in double-overtime.
Michigan State (2-1) scored on an uncontested dunk off a well-designed out-of-bounds play with 3.7 seconds remaining to force the first overtime, then scored by going end-to-end for an unchallenged dunk due to a UK defensive breakdown just before the buzzer to reach a second overtime.
"That was a helluva play," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said of the latter. "I like dunks... because I never could."
"(MSU's Malik Hall) just drove the length of the court to lay it in," said a dejected UK head coach John Calipari. "I was like, 'What in the world?'"
Playing in Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where its 2021-22 season shockingly ended with a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Saint Peter's, Kentucky (2-1) lost for the fifth time in its last six Champions Classic matchups.
With Kentucky star center Oscar Tshiebwe fouling out just prior to the second overtime, the Spartans dominated the final period, 15-6.
The Spartans placed four players in double-figures, led by senior forward Joey Hauser with a game-high 23 points and eight rebounds. They also got 20 points from Malik Hall, 16 from Maddy Sissoko, and 14 from Tyson Walker.
Kentucky, playing for the first time this season with Tshiebwe coming off a scoped knee procedure, got 22 points and 18 rebounds from the reigning national player of the year but shot just 38.6% as a team and was outrebounded by seven.
"It was amazing for Oscar to be able to do that after missing four weeks," Calipari said.
Noted an impressed Izzo: "Oscar is not Oscar yet."
Kentucky freshman guard Cason Wallace also had a strong overall game with 14 points, five rebounds, five assists, and eight steals but missed one of two free throws at the end of both regulation and the first overtime that ultimately allowed MIchigan State to tie the game in both situations.
The Cats were 16 of 24 at the free-throw line, while the Spartans knocked down 24 of 27.
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In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK loss...
KEY MOMENT:
Oscar Tshiebwe looked like he was going to put the Cats on his back and carry them to victory in his first action of the season, but the reigning national player of the year was whistled for his fifth personal foul on a controversial illegal screen with 32 seconds remaining in the first overime and UK leading 70-69. Kentucky got a stop, but moments later, Cason Wallace made only one of two free throws to leave Michigan State with one more chance to win or force overtime. The Spartans drove the length of the floor in just over seven seconds and somehow got an uncontested dunk by Malik Hall to tie the game at 71 and force a second overtime. They outscored UK 15-6 in the extra period.
GAME BALL:
Joey Hauser, Michigan State - The Spartans' stretch-4 had a huge night, scoring 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 shooting from the arc. He also pulled down eight rebounds. In the Spartans' previous game, a 64-63 loss to No. 2 Gonzaga in the Armed Forces Classic, he was 0-for-5 from the field and scored just two points.
BY THE NUMBERS:
5 - Fast-break points for the Cats on the night.
7:17 - Kentucky's time spent trailing in the game, which featured 14 ties and 10 lead changes.
7 of 25 - The Cats' 3-point shooting, only 25%, after hitting 51% in the first two games of the season.
8 - Steals by UK freshman guard Cason Wallace tied the school's single-game record. The previous players to do so were Wayne Turner, Rajon Rondo, and Ashton Hagans.
45-38 - Rebounding advantage for the Spartans despite an 18-rebound effort from UK's Oscar Tshiebwe.
63-52 - Kentucky’s all-time in overtime games, including 15-9 under Coach John Calipari.
QUOTABLE:
"We haven't been together practicing, so we've got to be patient. When we were getting ready to make a run, we'd run something, and someone would go the wrong way." -- UK coach John Calipari on not having his full roster available prior to this game.
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action Thursday at Rupp Arena against South Carolina State. The Bulldogs (0-4) are coming off a 96-71 loss to Duquense, who UK defeated 77-52 last week. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
