If you are still feeling sick about the Louisville loss, maybe you should listen to Tom Izzo.
While Big Blue Nation has spent the last week dissecting every defensive failure from the 96-88 shootout loss to the Cards, the Hall of Fame coach on the other sideline sees something completely different.
He sees a nightmare.
Ahead of tonight’s Champions Classic showdown at Madison Square Garden, Izzo didn't just praise Kentucky; he admitted that Mark Pope's roster is built to break teams like his.
'Even more athletic and tougher' than Arkansas
Izzo started by comparing Kentucky to Arkansas a team Michigan State has already seen, and beat. His assessment? The Cats are on a different level physically.
"Kentucky is even more athletic and tougher," Izzo said. "They really push the ball. Arkansas had one guy who pushed the ball. Kentucky has multiple guys who push the ball."
That "multiple guys" comment is the key. Izzo knows that you can't just key in on Otega Oweh or Collin Chandler. Pope’s system has too many ball handlers, and that speed kills disciplined defenses.
The 'fresh' factor
The most interesting part of Izzo's quote was his specific breakdown of Kentucky's frontcourt rotation. He has clearly been watching the minutes distribution.
"They're big inside, and those two guys inside complement each other," Izzo noted. "They kind of play 22 and 18 minutes, so they're usually fresh."
This is the "Mark Pope Effect" in action. By rotating his bigs (Brandon Garrison / Malachi Moreno platoon), Kentucky never has a tired rim protector on the floor. Izzo knows his Spartans are going to have to battle fresh legs for 40 minutes, and that wears you down physically and mentally.
Why this matters tonight
Historically, the Champions Classic was a house of horrors for Kentucky. The Cats suffered a brutal losing skid in this event until Mark Pope arrived and exorcised those demons last year with a signature 77-72 win over Duke.
Now, the question is: Can he do it again? Izzo seems to think he is facing a juggernaut.
"They have more than a couple of shooters... They have three, maybe four," Izzo said. "I think we're going to hit some of the better teams in the country, and they are one of them."
Mark Pope broke the curse last year. Tonight, he has a chance to prove that the Louisville loss was a fluke, and he has Tom Izzo’s full respect before the ball even tips.
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