USA TODAY International Edition
Mich. State’s vets school Kentucky’s kids
They came for the freshmen, mostly.
An estimated 80 NBA scouts — yes, multiple scouts per team — came to the State Farm Champions Classic to see at least a dozen players considered potential lottery picks. Nearly all are freshmen; nearly half play for John Calipari at Kentucky.
There had been talk ( fed by Calipari) that these young Wildcats could go undefeated. Based on raw talent alone, perhaps it hadn’t been a completely outrageous thought.
But even in college basketball’s one- and- done era, experience can trump all of that — a lesson Kentucky learned the hard way Tuesday. Led by a trio of Michigan State veterans — sophomore guard Gary Harris, senior point guard Keith Appling and senior forward Adreian Payne — the second- ranked Spartans held on to beat top- ranked Kentucky 78- 74.
With the score tied and less than five minutes remaining, Appling knocked down a baseline three. And then Harris scored a layup after a quick steal to put the Spartans up five, a lead they would not relinquish. In short, with the game on the line, the experienced guards took over.
Michigan State also took advantage of Kentucky’s weak transition defense, outscoring the Wildcats 21- 2 in fast- break points on the night. Harris, Appling and Payne combined to score 57 of Michigan State’s 78 points.
“I knew this would get their attention,” Calipari said. “( Michigan State) had been in these moments before. My team had not.”
The Nov. 12 meeting was the earliest for a No. 1- vs- No. 2 matchup in college basketball history and a game many considered a potential Final Four or national championship game preview.
It also marked Michigan State coach Tom Izzo’s third career victory against a top- ranked team.
Entering Tuesday, Michigan State players had combined to make 279 collegiate starts. Kentucky’s had combined to make 24.
“How we play together, how hard we play, how we deal with adversity, how we deal with prosperity ... will be answered,” Calipari said before the game.
He got some of those answers almost instantly. They weren’t what he liked.
Michigan State opened the game on a 10- 0 run, helped by what would be the first of many Kentucky turnovers. Wildcats star forward Julius Randle — considered to be in the running to go No. 1 in the 2014 NBA draft — committed four turnovers in the game’s first 12 minutes. He finished with eight turnovers.
In the first half, Michigan State outscored Kentucky 24- 14 in the paint and 13- 4 in transition, with the Wildcats freshmen showing how not to get back in transition.
Kentucky began the second half with Randle’s personal 6- 0 run, during which time he also drew Payne’s third foul one minute into the second half. Appling subsequently led an 8- 2 run to retake the lead.
Michigan State nursed a comfortable lead until the midway point of the second half. With 9 minutes, 23 seconds left, Payne picked up his fourth foul and went to the bench with Kentucky down by seven.
Randle took over, scoring 23 of his 27 points in the second half, many coming with Payne on the bench and Branden Dawson attempting — and struggling late in the game — to guard him.
With 4: 30 to play and the score tied for the first time since 0- 0, Denzel Valentine passed the ball to Appling, who drained a three- pointer from the corner in front of the Michigan State bench. Harris quickly stole the ball and added a layup to extend the Spartans’ lead to five points; it would dip to two but hold up.
Despite being uncharacteristically outrebounded 44- 32, Michigan State hung on to win.
“We’ve been through stretches plenty of times where teams go on a great run,” Dawson said. “Most teams break up, kind of lose focus. We kept talking. Keith Appling and the rest of those guys kept us together in the huddle. We came together as a team.”
Missed free throws meant missed opportunities for the Wildcats. Kentucky shot 20- for- 36 from the line.
Add free throws to the list of things Calipari plans on fixing in the coming weeks.
“My hope is I’m in the office at night and it’s 10: 30 and I see guys shooting them on their own,” Calipari said. “They’ve got to take it on. Getting to the foul line and missing is almost demoralizing.
“I’ve got four months to get this right.”