CHICAGO — It seemed like Adou Thiero had cloned himself Tuesday night.

There he was, diving on the floor for every loose ball. There he was, skying above the rim to put back a teammate’s miss — with authority. There he was, gobbling up every rebound he could track down.

Thiero was far from the only Kentucky player who took the floor against No. 1 Kansas in the latest edition of the Champions Classic.

But no Wildcat played a bigger role in multiple phases of the game.

His efforts almost spurred No. 16 UK to an upset victory over the nation’s top-ranked team at the United Center. But after the Wildcats took a 48-41 lead into the break, the Jayhawks rallied for an 89-84 win.

"We're learning," UK coach John Calipari said. "None of us are happy that we lost the game. I'm not happy. I've got work to do to help them finish games off, figure out who needs to be in at the end of those games.

"But to come in this environment with this — the bells and whistles — and they perform like they did? I couldn't ask for much more."

Thiero gave everything he had in what unquestionably was the best game of his college career.

A sophomore guard from Pennsylvania, Thiero posted personal bests in points (16) and rebounds (13, which also was a team high Tuesday). A career 68.4% shooter from the free-throw line entering Tuesday night, he sank 5 of 6 shots from the charity stripe. He even nailed a 3-pointer — the first points of the game for the Wildcats (2-1) after the Jayhawks jumped to a 9-0 advantage — after making only three triples all of last season. Not only did Tuesday represent Thiero’s first double-double at UK but he nearly accomplished it in the first half, with 13 points and nine boards.

"He fought. He played hard. He subbed himself," Calipari said. "I had one guy that refused to sub himself and missed three shots and turned the ball over. You're exhausted? Come out. It's not high school. ... But he played above the rim, went and got balls, was physical.

"He was good."

But he wasn’t faultless: As Kansas (3-0) made a second-half push, Thiero airballed a wide-open 3.

Advanced statistics weren’t kind to Thiero: His plus-minus of negative-26 was the worst of any player, for either team, Tuesday night.

"Well, let me say why: Because the start of the game he was in, and it was a bad start," Calipari said. "Then there was a stretch in the second half ... where (Kansas) made a run at us, and he was in during that time. So that's why he was a minus-20 something."

On back-to-back possessions in a second half that featured seven lead changes and five ties, Thiero pulled down rebounds that led to second-chance points: a free throw at the 7:18 mark that pushed UK ahead 71-70; the next time down the floor, his initial drive-and-layup attempt was no good, so he grabbed his own miss and put it back in, giving the Wildcats a 73-72 advantage.

Thiero had plenty of help Tuesday.

Playing in his hometown, senior guard Antonio Reeves had a team-high 24 points. Freshman guard Rob Dillingham, who caught fire in the first half and drilled 3-pointers on four consecutive possessions, finished with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting (4 for 5 on 3s). Another freshman guard, Reed Sheppard, was close to flawless en route to 13 points; Sheppard was 4 for 5 from the field, 3 of 4 on 3-pointers and 2 of 2 at the free-throw line. His only errant shot: a desperation heave from beyond the 3-point line in the waning seconds with Kentucky trailing 87-84.

The Wildcats’ combined contributions weren’t enough to offset a dominant outing from KU star Hunter Dickinson.

The 7-foot-2, 260-pound center led all players with 27 points and 21 rebounds. He made 66.7% (8 for 12) of his shots from the field and 91% (10 for 11) of his free throws.

"He's a good player," Thiero said. "He was able to get to his spots, get in the post, go up and finish it. He was talking a decent bit of smack, but it's part of the game, so it's all love."

The same emotion Calipari, his teammates and the Kentucky fan base felt about Thiero's showing.

It was a breakout performance on one of the biggest stages college basketball offers during the regular season — before UK and KU squared off, Duke topped Michigan State in Game 1 of the doubleheader.

For one night, while Thiero didn't entirely step out of the shadows of his more heralded teammates, he stood alongside them.

Being overlooked has been central to his story since the moment he signed with Kentucky, a rare three-star prospect in a galaxy of five-star, one-and-done supernovas that have passed through Lexington.

For as much as Tuesday potentially marked a significant step forward in Thiero's development, he couldn't overcome the belief that all his good was for naught.

"It feels good to have this type of performance," he said, "but when you don't walk away with a 'W,' it doesn't really feel the same."

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Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky vs Kansas basketball: John Calipari's team falls in Chicago