In between all of the chaos surrounding MSU’s matchup with second-ranked Kentucky was one of the most exiting games played in years at The Hump.
Playing without Ravern Johnson (suspended due to attitude detrimental to the team), and with Jarvis Varnado sitting out nearly half the game due to foul trouble, the Bulldogs took Kentucky to the wire before falling 81-75 in overtime.
A Humphrey Coliseum record crowd of 10,788 erupted when the Bulldogs came out wearing black uniforms, something that has not been done before.
Like MSU’s last overtime game against Auburn, Tuesday’s contest was a back-and-forth battle featuring 14 ties and 11 lead changes.
Head coach Rick Stansbury said after the game that Kentucky simply found a way to win.
“That was an unbelievable effort by our players,” Stansbury said. “They find ways to be 25-1. Coach Calipari has done an unbelievable job meshing those personalities together. I couldn’t be more proud of our guys even though we lost the basketball game.”
The Wildcats held the lead the majority of the first half, but the Bulldogs kept it close and were only down by three at the break. John Wall, who is expected to be a top-five pick in the next NBA draft, led all scorers at halftime with 11 points. The freshman finished the game two assists shy of a triple double (18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists).
The opening minutes of the second half proved to have a lasting impact on the rest of the game. In a 33-second span, Varnado picked up his second, third and fourth fouls, which left him on the bench for over 10 minutes. Varnado re-entered the game briefly, but he picked up his fifth foul shortly after putting the Bulldogs up 61-58 with 5:29 left in the game. Varnado, who has only fouled out of one other game all season, said he disagreed with some of the calls.
“They came quick,” Varnado said. “My fourth foul was kind of suspect.”
Even with Varnado on the bench, MSU found themselves up 67-60 with three minutes to go after two Bost free-throws. However, that would go on to be the last time the Bulldogs scored in regulation.
MSU came up empty in their final four possessions, while Kentucky scored on three of their last four possessions to tie the game. The Bulldogs had the opportunity to run the clock down and take the final shot, but a Barry Stewart 3-pointer was air-balled, and Kentucky got the ball back with six seconds to go. A last-second jumper by Patrick Patterson bricked off the rim at the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
In overtime, Kentucky outlasted MSU and won by a final score of 81-75 after a brief delay due to debris thrown on the court, which was sparked by controversial foul calls in the final minutes.
After the game, with local television cameras rolling and Athletic Director Greg Byrne in the room, Stansbury joked with the media that he would give his thoughts on the officiating if they agreed to pay half of his fine.
Demarcus Cousins silenced the MSU fans who had called and texted him all week with a 19-point, 18-rebound performance. Patrick Patterson also had a double-double for the Wildcats with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
For the second consecutive game Dee Bost lead the team in scoring, with 22 points. Kodi Augustus had 17, while Stewart had 16.
Stewart said that the team will not let the loss get them down.
“We played the No. 2 team in the country and we played them to the wire,” Stewart said. “We just got to stick together and not let it get us down.”