Kentucky vs. Indiana: Loss in Classic Game Blessing in Disguise for Wildcats

This is why college basketball is the closest thing to a perfect sport there is.

If you wanted to sell the sport to someone that never saw a game, show them a tape of the matchup of the No. 1 Kentucky Wildcats on the road against the unranked but undefeated Indiana Hoosiers.

In Bloomington, IN these two colossal basketball programs produced a regular-season classic.

The Wildcats are fortunate that this performance and loss took place when it did. The Wildcats are too young to carry an undefeated season in to the NCAA tournament. This teams needs a few more lessons to ensure they aren't headed for another Calipari failure.

The Wildcats did not block out and their overall intensity on defense was not what it needed to be. Those two factors contributed to the stat that killed the Wildcats, the three-point shooting. The Hoosiers shot 60 percent from the arc; many of the opportunities came after offensive rebounds.

Kentucky All-American Terrance Jones was benched in the second half after lackluster play on the defensive end as well as missing several block-out opportunities.

Indiana freshman Cody Zeller was one of the main beneficiaries of Jones' absent-mindedness. John Calipari pulled his star and went with the rest of his talented lineup. Marquis Teague began to expose the slow-footed Indiana perimeter defense at will.

The Wildcats also missed two huge free throws down the stretch. With so many great athletes capable of getting to the hoop, they must shoot it from the stripe better. The 59 percent performance they delivered against Indiana will lead to more losses.

The biggest performance of the game came from Indiana's Christian Watford; not only did he drain the three at the buzzer, but also had a game-high 20 points. His performance will put him on NBA scouts' radar screens.

He made several big-time offensive plays down the stretch, none bigger than the pure ice-water three to send the Hoosiers to their biggest victory in years.