Three of the many reasons why Michigan State ran Kentucky off the floor

Kentucky has big-picture problems in mid-November after dropping its second marquee game of the season in the Champions Classic. The Wildcats lack an identity and were unprepared and uninspired in losses to Louisville and Michigan State. Mark Pope doesn’t have answers for the 0-2 start in big games, either.

I wrote about those broader concerns here as soon as the loss to Michigan State ended. Now, let’s focus on some basketball analysis from the 83-66 loss before we spend the next several days worrying about the overall product, things like chemistry and focus.

Here are three significant factors in the Spartans beating the Wildcats up and down the floor in Madison Square Garden.

1. Kentucky got destroyed on the glass

Rebounding was the biggest mismatch of the night. Michigan State was quicker to loose balls, stronger in traffic, and more committed to winning second-chance opportunities. Those extra possessions let the Spartans reset their offense and keep Kentucky scrambling. UK’s frontcourt could not keep up on the boards.

Michigan State outrebounded Kentucky 42-28 in the game, with 10 offensive rebounds and eight points off putbacks. One clip in particular is making the rounds online, summarizing the night for the Wildcats and what they’re getting, or not getting, from starting center Brandon Garrison.

pic.twitter.com/AWitR8vcYi

— Michael Beard (@AllMikedUp_) November 19, 2025

2. The perimeter defense was a disaster

You can’t beat a top-25 team when you repeatedly give up wide-open threes, and Kentucky did that for 40 minutes. Michigan State finished 11 for 22 from deep, and most of those makes weren’t contested. Miscommunications, slow rotations, and guys not fighting through screens all added up to a shooting clinic by a team that shot 21.7 percent in its first three games, one of the worst marks in the nation.

Even when Kentucky made a small push, the Spartans immediately answered by walking into another clean look from outside. When Mark Pope was asked if his team willingly gave up the perimeter, he replied, “No, we just played poorly. It was poor, poor attention to detail on the defensive end.”

Michigan State made 13 threes in three games before hitting 11 against Kentucky.

3. Kentucky’s offenses can’t create, and settles for bad shots

The blowout wasn’t just a defensive issue. Michigan State forced Kentucky into the halfcourt, and the Wildcats couldn’t get good looks. It’s a common problem that we saw in the exhibition game loss to Georgetown, the loss at Louisville, and even in spurts in the three wins in Rupp Arena.

No natural point guard without Jaland Lowe, no downhill pressure, no reliable post scoring, and not nearly enough shot creation. The ball sticks, and the driving lanes go away. What happened to Otega Oweh taking over games? Where is the three-point shooting? Kentucky missed 23 of 30 tries in New York, and unlike the Spartans, they were just chucking up shots instead of getting open looks.

Kentucky wants to play fast, create spacing, and shoot a ton of threes, but when teams take away the early offense, UK doesn’t have a backup plan right now.

These were just some of the basketball programs in the 83-66, but there are greater concerns early in Pope’s second season right now.