KSR Today: Another Champions Classic Disaster for Kentucky

Otega Oweh struggles to get a shot off against Michigan State in the Champions Classic, via Dr. Michael Huang, Kentucky Sports Radio

Where to begin? Sadly, it feels like we’ve seen a similar story before. Hell, it’s one we experienced a week ago. Kentucky fans were filled with hope ahead of a high-profile matchup, and left wondering what the hell is going on after failing an important litmus test.

Before Mark Pope arrived in Lexington, Kentucky had lost seven of its last eight in the Champions Classic. That included a 118-84 loss to Zion Williamson‘s Duke team, and a blown lead that turned into a nine-point double-overtime loss to Michigan State. The losses scarred Kentucky fans. It felt like Pope removed that scar tissue by taking down Duke a year ago. All of those ugly demons resurfaced in a hapless performance on Tuesday night.

Michigan State ran away with an 83-66 victory, one that felt much worse than the final score. The Spartans had a 20-point lead for most of the contest. It dropped Kentucky to 6-9 in the Champions Classic, tied with Sparty for the worst record in the event, and the numbers only get uglier from there.

The Kentucky Loss to Michigan State By the Numbers

— Michigan State entered the game shooting 21.7% from three. They were 11-22 against Kentucky, netting seven of those threes in the first half.

— Kentucky had 13 assists and nine turnovers. Michigan State point guard Jeremy Fears had 13 assists by himself. Of their 32 made field goals, 25 came off assists.

— Kentucky lost the rebounding battle 42-28. Sparty’s starting bigs out-scored Kentucky’s 26-12. The Wildcats’ leading rebounder had 4.

— Kentucky’s leading scorer, Otega Oweh, had 12 points on 12 field goal attempts. The Preseason SEC Player of the Year needed 13 shots to score 12 against Louisville. Kentucky had three other players with 10 points apiece (Chandler, Aberdeen, Dioubate) and all of them needed at least 8 shot attempts to get there.

Is This a Red Flag?

Because it certainly feels like a red flag.

ESPN's @KrisBudden reports that Kentucky's players were "barking at each other" in the timeout down 14, prompting Mark Pope to step and tell them to get on the same page.
— Tyler Thompson (@MrsTylerKSR) November 19, 2025

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What Mark Pope Said After the Game

The Kentucky head coach left a lot of meat on the bone for BBN to chew on. He described the Wildcats as “discombobulated,” and diminished the notion that the team has lost its identity without its point guard. “The identity of the team is completely separate from any individual player.”

It took Pope about 45 minutes to get to his postgame press conference, likely spending the extra time to ruminate on his team’s shortcomings. He was open about his early-season failures, particularly the “disconnect” within the team, yet mustered up enough to share a message to rally the troops, one that will certainly be viewed as a turning point if this team does find a way to figure it out.

“But we won’t fail this season; we just have failed up until today,” said Pope. “We will build an organization where it won’t be disrupted every time someone steps in and steps out because we’ll have a team identity, not an individual identity. Until we get there, we’re going to really struggle. That’s my job. That’s why they brought me here. I’m doing it poorly; I won’t do it poorly for much longer.”

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Kentucky has Nowhere to Hide

Kentucky failed its first two tests. The Cats have two weeks to figure it out. Jaland Lowe is out indefinitely. There’s no sign that Jayden Quaintance will return and immediately solve all of Kentucky’s problems. North Carolina comes to Lexington on Tuesday, Dec. 2. Three days later, they’ll face a Top 15 Gonzaga team. A week after that, the Indiana rivalry is renewed.

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Mark Pope’s team needs to play with a sense of urgency, something lacking in their first two high-profile matchups of the season.

More from the Champions Classic Loss

Pope Needs a Better Pulse on the Fanbase
Pope’s Pause Says Everything
Kentucky got outplayed again, and it starts at the top
Pope vows not to fail after red flag-ridden loss
3 Reasons why Michigan State ran Kentucky off the floor
Kentucky’s poor start is “eye-opening”
Kentucky needs more from Brandon Garrison
The Wheels Fell Off at the same time vs. UofL and Michigan State
Izzo: Homegrown Talent is Undervalued in Portal Era
There’s no new Jaland Lowe Update

Probably not the best time to drop this

A day after getting debacled, Mark Pope is the subject of a 30-minute profile on CBS Sports. I’m sure Kentucky basketball fans are going to be receptive to the feathery feature after Pope’s Tuesday night performance.

Home Court: @CoachMarkPope premieres November 19th, at 6:30 p.m. ET on @CBSSports.

Take a sneak peek ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/YBXvLyZZMD
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) November 18, 2025

At Least Kentucky WBB Won

Meanwhile, back in Lexington, Kenny Brooks has his team firing early in the season. Hosting Purdue, they made the Boilermakers look more like a team from the NEC, rather than the Big Ten. Clara Strack had 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 blocks in a 76-35 victory at Historic Memorial Coliseum. Jordan Obi also put up 17 points, eight rebounds, a block, and a steal.

They made it look easy on Tuesday night. Things probably won’t come so easily for much longer. No. 20 Kentucky travels to No. 21 Louisville this Saturday for a 2 PM ET tip-off at the Yum Center. Four days later, they’ll take on a Top 10 Maryland team. Hopefully, Kenny Brooks’ squad performs much better in its upcoming litmus tests than their male counterparts.

On Deck: Kentucky at No. 14 Vanderbilt

Mark Stoops isn’t the hero BBN deserves, but the one we need. Kentucky is playing its best football ahead of a road trip to Vanderbilt for Diego Pavia‘s Senior Day. The Commodores have the CFP on their mind after coming in at No. 14 in the latest rankings update.

Today, we’ll get a heavy dose of Kentucky football talk. Mark Stoops and Clark Lea will be on this afternoon’s SEC Teleconference, followed by a post-practice conversation with Brad White, and then a new edition of 11 Personnel. We’ll go live right after the first availability report of the week drops at around 8:15 PM ET.