No. 12 Kentucky men’s basketball (3-2) faced No. 17 Michigan State (4-0) in the annual State Farm Champions Classic, falling 83-66 to the Spartans, bringing Kentucky’s record against ranked opponents to 0-2. 

The game would prove to be yet another example of too much, too late for the Wildcats, as early offensive struggles and inefficiencies would be costly even with a chance for a second-half comeback.

Through the first seven minutes of play, the game was a back-and-forth battle of high-performing offenses, with both Michigan State and Kentucky exchanging baskets on back-to-back drives.

Collin Chandler led Kentucky, shooting 3-for-3 from the field and 1-for-1 from beyond the arc to give the Cats an early edge.

However, the 12-minute mark sent Kentucky’s scoring momentum in the opposite direction and gave the Spartans every opportunity to extend their lead.

Michigan State began what would be a 17-2 scoring run, fueled by an 8-0 run in one minute with seven minutes remaining in the half, giving the Spartans a 32-19 lead.

The shooting struggles that have been apparent all season haunted Kentucky once again, as it shot only 32 percent from the field and 32 percent from beyond the arc, while the Spartans had almost twice the efficiency in both categories.

Scoring wasn’t the only thing that gave Michigan State a double-digit lead — it was Kentucky’s inefficiency across the box score.

Through the first 13 minutes, Kentucky had zero bench points, zero second-chance points, and zero offensive rebounds.

The offensive inefficiencies only worsened as the first half wrapped up, and with one minute remaining, Michigan State held a 42-27 lead, backed by offensive dominance and a Kentucky team that had found only one basket on 11 straight shots.

Michigan State took a 17-point lead into the half, a buzzer-beater putting the Spartans on top 44-27. The second half started in a similar fashion to the first, with both teams exchanging baskets.

However, even with a more efficient offensive showing from Kentucky, the defensive struggles gave it no opportunities to shrink the deficit.

Dioubate found a spark on offense throughout the first five minutes, scoring six straight points to cut Michigan State’s lead to 13. The Queens, N.Y., native would end the game with ten points in his first time playing at MSG, only 13 miles west of his hometown.

The offense began clicking for the first time in the game, finding the net on five of six straight shots. A 7-0 run allowed the Cats to cut the lead down to ten, and would begin Kentucky’s attempt for an unimaginable comeback for the second time this season.

Four straight turnovers and Kentucky’s offensive momentum forced the Spartans to take a timeout, Kentucky down 60-50 with over nine minutes left in the game. 

The momentum would flip on its head once again, and Michigan State would push its lead back to 16, and with little time left on the clock, the Cats were running out of time.

The comeback would become an impossible task at the four-minute mark, as Michigan State pushed its lead to 20. In the past 15 seasons, Kentucky has not secured a 20-point comeback, and tonight wouldn’t be the one to change that.

The first-half offensive struggles persisted, as the Cats ended the game shooting 35% from the field and a more underwhelming 24% from beyond the arc.

The late rally couldn’t save the Cats from first-half struggles, and an 11-0 scoring run by Michigan State would lead it to the 83-66 victory as the clock ran out. 

The Wildcats will return to Rupp Arena this Friday, Nov. 21, to face Loyola Maryland (2-3). Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. EST and will air live on SECN+.