As guards Keith Appling and Gary Harris were quick to point out, the Spartans haven’t accomplished any of their goals yet. But knocking off the Wildcats sets the tone for a season head coach Tom Izzo hopes produces his second national championship ring. It’s a feather in the cap for MSU in terms of its NCAA Tournament résumé, which is invaluable if it distances the Spartans from Kentucky in the bracket.

After the first of many heavyweight non-conference bouts on MSU’s agenda, here’s what we learned at the United Center:

Run away

Seemingly every fall, Izzo and the Spartans claim they’re going to be more of a running team, meaning they want to push the tempo in transition and beat opponents down the floor. MSU’s exceptionally athletic rotation suits an up-and-down game as well as any of Izzo’s teams. The statement of “running more” has been made so many times it’s become somewhat of a punch line, but the Spartans proved their serious this year against the Wildcats — and Appling confirmed it in the post-game press conference. MSU’s 10-0 lead out the gates was a product of four steals followed by breakaway buckets. MSU players sprinting in transition and Wildcats jogging was the difference in the first half, Kentucky head coach John Calipari said.

Too many whistles

The NCAA’s new hand-check rules, effective this season, already proved to be a pain for players and fans alike. This year, players are subjected to much stricter foul calls for contact on other players with the hand or forearm. Officials are now as whistle-happy as ever, and it hurt the Spartans in the second half Tuesday. MSU’s contributing bigs — senior Adreian Payne, sophomore Matt Costello and junior Alex Gauna — were benched late with four fouls, which was one of the biggest factors in allowing Kentucky’s comeback. The pacing of the game was noticeably affected with the 46 fouls called, extending the duration of the game significantly. Izzo said the rule change will impact coaches prepare their players going forward.

Room to grow

MSU appeared set for a rout of the young-but-talented Wildcats when it opened up a 15-point lead with two minutes left in the first half. Kentucky was able to come storming back and eventually tie the game because of the aforementioned foul troubles in the post, an issue that compounded into a rebounding deficit for the Spartans. With MSU’s main big men rationing minutes, the Wildcats — specifically forward Julius Randle — dominated the glass. At halftime, the rebounding numbers were even, but by the end of the night, Kentucky held a plus-12 advantage, which is virtually unheard of for an Izzo-coached team. The bottom line is the Spartans came away with a win despite playing far from their best basketball.

Flexin’

Looking at MSU’s foul troubles with a glass-half-full mindset, it allowed Izzo to tinker with a variety of floor lineups, which he acknowledged later. Ideally, playing the No. 1 team in the country isn’t the time for experimentation, but it’s an indirect benefit in this case. The Spartans can play big at times, teaming Payne with Costello, Gauna or freshman forward Gavin Shilling. Or they can play small, with both Appling and junior point guard Travis Trice on the floor. Who predicted we would see the combination of Appling, Trice, Shilling, sophomore guard Denzel Valentine and Payne? MSU’s roster flexibility should prove to be one of its greatest assets as the season wears on.