RAPID REACTION | Spiral-sliced: Michigan State shreds Kentucky 83-66 in Champions Classic

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- If there were a preseason poll for public panic, Kentucky would be climbing fast.

Two ranked opponents. Two national stages. Two games with 20-point deficits. And not a lot of encouraging tape to take home.

Louisville | Kentucky | Indiana | Eric Crawford

Tuesday night in Madison Square Garden, No. 12 Kentucky was carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey. A Michigan State team that came in with 13 total made 3-pointers on the season exited with 11 more in one night.

The final was 83-66 in the first game of the Champions Classic in Madison Square Garden. The feeling was worse.

“I did not have this on my bingo card,” ESPN’s Jay Bilas said near the end of the game.

Tell us about it. It didn’t’ sound like Michigan State coach Tom Izzo did either.

“That's a very good team,” Izzo told ESPN of Kentucky. “They didn’t play well tonight.”

No, they did not.

Kentucky grabbed a 5-0 lead. It was their largest of the game, and it vanished like mist. Michigan State gathered itself, started making threes, burned Kentucky with ball screens, hurt them by exploiting a lack of help defense, and turned a showcase into a cautionary tale.

That’s generous. Kentucky played like a team exposed. The Spartans carved through the Cats with an 18-2 first-half run and didn’t look back. They shot 51 percent from the field, 50 percent from three, and 30-24 scoring edge in the paint. Against a team that came in ranked No. 8 in offensive efficiency, Michigan State looked like the group that belonged there.

It wasn’t just the percentages. It was the pain points.

No Kentucky offensive rebound for the first 14:30 of the game. Only three offensive boards in the entire first half and six in the game. MSU outrebounded the Wildcats 42-28.

MSU outscoring the Wildcats 34-22 off the bench.

Tom Izzo pulled his starters with just under three minutes to play.

Michigan State freshman Jeremy Fears Jr. had 13 assists and no turnovers. Kur Teng, who entered with 12 points on the season, dropped 15 off the bench. Jaxon Kohler scored 20 like it was a scrimmage. Meanwhile, Kentucky couldn’t find a rhythm, much less a run.

Yes, injuries are playing a part in Kentucky’s struggles — Jayden Quaintance and Jaland Lowe were both out, and Trent Noah is still recovering — but what plagued the Wildcats was deeper: miscommunication in transition, slow rotations, a lack of physicality that’s supposed to be SEC standard.

Kentucky cut the lead to 10 in the second half. Michigan State answered with an 8-0 run. Game over.

Otega Oweh led Kentucky with 12 points but was 4 of 12 from the field. A trio of players had 10 each. But Kentucky had no answers.

It’s still early. But at Kentucky, it gets late early. It’s rare to see a Kentucky team handled the way this one was on a national stage like this.

This isn’t about panic. It’s about proof.

Right now, Kentucky’s is missing.