Kentucky’s night in the State Farm Champions Classic unraveled fast, and by the end of it the Wildcats were staring at an 89-69 loss to Kansas that felt familiar in all the wrong ways.
The No. 24 Wildcats never really found a groove.
Foul trouble knocked them off balance early, and the offense never settled into anything that looked coherent. Zoom Diallo was the one steady presence, finishing with 24 points and serving as Kentucky’s only real source of scoring.
Malachi Moreno was fighting early foul trouble just minutes into the game, and Milan Momcilovic was largely invisible for most of the night.
For Kentucky, the result landed with a thud, but it also fit a pattern that has become hard to ignore. Between former head coach John Calipari and Mark Pope, the Wildcats are now 2-8 in their last 10 Champions Classic appearances.
Their only two wins in that stretch came in a narrow victory over Duke in 2024 and another close one over Michigan State in 2019. They’ve also gone 1-6 in their last seven games in the event.
Tuesday’s defeat was Kentucky’s worst in the Champions Classic since 2018.
The bigger concern is that this kind of performance has shown up too often under Pope. His teams have been overpowered by quality opponents far too frequently, and this latest dud only adds to the frustration around a program that keeps coming up short in the biggest spotlight games.
Throughout the night, Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas kept pointing out how sluggish Kentucky’s offense looked next to Kansas’s ball movement. They also highlighted the gap in fast-break points, steals and offensive rebounds, all of it tied to Kansas playing with more intensity.
Now Kentucky is left with more questions than answers, and the schedule doesn’t offer another top-25 test until No. 6 Virginia in early December. That Cavaliers team already handled John Calipari’s Arkansas squad, leading by as many as 27 points in a 91-72 win over the Razorbacks.
In Other News...
Kansas Freshmen Just Gave Fans A Dangerous Glimpse Against Kentucky
A nationally televised win over Kentucky gave Kansas fans an early look at what this freshman class can do when it starts clicking. Tyran Stokes set the tone with 23 points and four three-pointers, while Taylen Kinney kept the offense moving with eight assists in an 89-69 rout that felt as much about promise as it did about the final margin.
For Jayhawks supporters, the most interesting part may be where this goes next. Both Stokes and Kinney were heavily recruited by Kentucky, and they made a point of showing their value in a game that carried plenty of attention beyond the box score. If this is the kind of impact Kansas can get from its freshmen this early, the rest of the season could get very interesting in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Just Sent An Early Warning To The Rest Of College Basketball
The Champions Classic offered an early snapshot of where the college basketball powers stand, and Kansas left Madison Square Garden with the kind of win that tends to travel. While Michigan States upset of Duke grabbed plenty of attention, the Jayhawks handled Kentucky and reinforced why they are already being viewed as a team with the look of a serious national contender. It was the sort of opening-night result that can shape the conversation around a program before conference play even begins.
For Kansas, the win also came against a Kentucky team that still has obvious questions to sort through, especially at point guard and at power forward. Duke, meanwhile, was left to regroup after an uneven offensive showing despite its talent, while Emoni Bates continued to draw eyes as one of the early NBA draft names to watch with his improved outside shooting and assertive style. For the Jayhawks, the bigger takeaway is simple: they did not just survive a marquee stage, they used it to send a message. [Read more 🡒]
Tyran Stokes Just Gave Kansas Fans A Reason To Dream
Tyran Stokes gave Kansas plenty to feel good about in the Champions Classic, turning in a 23-point, 10-rebound effort in an 89-69 win over Kentucky. The freshman forward looked comfortable in a big setting, and Bill Self pointed to the way Stokes handled his emotions while still staying effective from start to finish.
For Stokes, the matchup carried extra weight. He grew up in Louisville and was recruited by Kentucky, so the stage had a little more meaning than most November games, and he said as much afterward while crediting his coaches for the confidence he showed in his shooting. For Kansas, the encouraging part is not just the performance itself, but the possibility that a young player already looks ready for nights when the spotlight is brightest. [Read more 🡒]