The Michigan State beatdown exposed Kentucky's defensive problems, offensive stagnation, and lack of effort. But the most damning indictment came off the court.
ESPN's Kris Budden delivered a disturbing sideline report during a second-half timeout with the Cats down 14: Kentucky's players were "barking at each other," prompting Mark Pope to step in and demand they get on the same page.
This is the ultimate evidence of a broken team. The energy that was desperately missing on the court was being expended against each other.
The leader of the charge
Adding fuel to the fire, reports indicate that Brandon Garrison was the leader of the charge, barking at other players. This creates a severe hypocrisy problem when you analyze the game film and see what Brandon Garrison did or should I say, didn't do.
This mid-game skirmish lends credence to every word Mark Pope said about cultural failure after the game:
"If you build an organization the right way, then your identity is not about an individual person. Your identity is about a collective group, and it shouldn't matter... which I've clearly failed to do up until today."
The message is clear: whatever culture Pope thought he had built after Year 1 did not survive the first taste of adversity. The team is disjointed and disinterested. They are using all their frustration on internal fighting, confirming that the entire effort is wasted.
The good news is it is only game 5, there is still a lot of season left. Kentucky has a lot of opportunities to prove they are a team to be feared. Right now though, every team on Kentucky's schedule has to be licking their chops to take a shot the Cats.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion