Michigan State Tops Kentucky in Double OT
Defending National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe returned to action for fourth-ranked Kentucky on Tuesday night against Michigan State in the Champions Classic. And, after missing the first two games of this season following a knee procedure, Tshiebwe seemingly picked up right where he left off last season. Tshiebwe scored 22 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, his 18th consecutive double-double, and added four blocks for good measure. Even with all of that, Michigan State was able to hold off the Cats 86-77 in double overtime. While Tshiebwe was certainly the story on this night, UK freshman Cason Wallace continued his strong early-season play as well. Wallace had 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and eight steals. The eight steals tied the Kentucky school record, which has been accomplished by three players previously (Wayne Turner in 1997, Rajon Rondo in 2005 and Ashton Hagans in 2018).
Cards Fall Just Short in 61-60 Loss to App State
The Louisville men’s basketball team suffered its third straight one-point loss to open the season Tuesday, falling 61-60 to Appalachian State at the KFC Yum! Center. The Cardinals (0-3) trailed 57-45 with 7:01 remaining and stormed back with a 15-4 run to finish the game. Senior guard El Ellis appeared to score the game-winning basket on a layup in traffic at the buzzer, but it was waved off after an official review. Louisville is the first team since at least 1980 to lose its first three games of the season by one point each. Including last year’s 51-50 season-ending loss to Virginia, the Cardinals are the first team since Stetson in 1981-82 to lose four consecutive one-point games.
Another Record-Breaking Night Helps Tops to Third Straight Win
WKU Hilltopper Basketball broke another program record and won its third game in a row on Tuesday night as it defeated the University of Indianapolis 68-50 in E.A. Diddle Arena. WKU broke the program’s record for single-game blocks with 13 total amongst five different Hilltoppers. The Tops shut out the Greyhounds in the final five minutes of either half to control the outcome of the game.