LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- A win over fifth-ranked Michigan State was a dream come true for Kentucky guard J.P. Blevins.

"I can remember when LSU came in here with Shaquille and Chris Jackson, I remember the noise that was made that game," Blevins said, recalling a famous 1990 upset pulled by Rick Pitino's first Kentucky team. "I said, 'One day, I'm going to be in there, playing in front of 24,000 roaring fans."'

	Kentucky's Keith Bogans, left, tries to knock the ball away from Michigan State's David Thomas.

On Thursday night, it was Blevins keying another Kentucky upset, 60-58 over the Spartans (8-3). This time, the Rupp roar was for the sophomore from the tiny town of Edmonton. Ky.

Coming off the bench, Blevins' defense rallied the Wildcats (6-4) from 15 points down. He scored all nine of his points on 3-pointers, with the last putting Kentucky ahead to stay 50-49 with 7:18 left.

"After I hit my second 3, I started feeling it a little bit, so I knew the next time I got any kind of a look to just throw one up," he said.

The Wildcats widened the margin to as much as 58-51 before Michigan State rallied on a 3 by A.J. Granger and two field goals by Charlie Bell.

The Spartans got to 60-58 and had the ball for a final shot, but Andre Hutson's baseline shot was blocked by Tayshaun Prince and Morris Peterson's rebound tip-in attempt was no good as time expired.

It was not the shot coach Tom Izzo wanted.

"I had so many guys in foul trouble and so many guys that played a lot of minutes that I wanted a 3-point shot," he said. "We passed up a couple of shots that maybe I would have taken."

Jamaal Magloire led Kentucky with 18 points and 11 rebounds and Prince added 17 points.

"It was a good win for us because they were a ranked team and they were a great team," Magloire said. "We're trying to be considered one of the great teams. Right now, I think we're a good team, but we keep winning games like this, we'll be right there with the rest of them."

Peterson led the Spartans with 18 points. Jason Richardson had nine rebounds.

Last spring, Michigan State kept Kentucky from reaching its fourth straight Final Four, eliminating the Wildcats 73-66 in the NCAA tournament Midwest Region final.

The rematch featured very different teams. Kentucky was without four starters and one key reserve from last year's squad, while Michigan State was missing star guard Mateen Cleaves, sidelined with a broken foot.

The Spartans were playing their third tough road game in three weeks, following a win at North Carolina and a loss at Arizona.

"I didn't think we handled the adversity as well as we could," Izzo said. "We seemed to crack a little bit."

Two weeks ago, Kentucky fell out of the top 25 for the first time in nine years with a 4-4 record. The Wildcats now have responded with a 76-46 win over in-state rival Louisville and the upset of the Spartans.

"We've played a tough, competitive schedule and that helped us tonight," Kentucky coach Tubby Smith said. "Our guys understand that there are going to be battles and wars. It has really helped this young team mature."

A Kentucky victory looked highly unlikely with 6:13 left in the first half, when Michigan State finished an 11-0 run to lead 26-11.

The Rupp crowd, buzzing at the game's start, was quiet as the Wildcats appeared to have no answers on defense and seemed helpless to score against the Spartans' zone.

Slowly, almost painfully, Kentucky worked its way back into a physical game, tightening its defense with a mix of zones, traps and man-to-man and limiting Michigan State to Peterson's two free throws for the remainder of the half.

Blevins, averaging 2.2 points per game coming in, turned the tide, energizing his teammates with frenetic defense and timely shooting. The sophomore hit a 3-pointer to make it 26-18 with 3:23 left, then stole the ball on Michigan State's next possession.

"J.P. has been gaining confidence every day with his ballhandling, and I was impressed with the aggressiveness he showed," Smith said.

Suddenly, it was Kentucky on a 16-2 run to close the half, pulling to 28-27 at the break.

Michigan State threatened to pull away again at the start of the second half, scoring the first six points. Again, though, Kentucky rallied, with Blevins again playing a key role.

Inserted in the lineup with 13:51 left and the Wildcats trailing 39-32, Blevins almost singlehandedly drove Spartans point guard Charlie Bell to the bench with his harassing defense. With 10:25 left, he made another 3-pointer that closed the gap to 46-45.

Seconds later, when Peterson got the ball on a breakaway, Blevins chased him down and knocked away a slam-dunk attempt.

After Magloire's basket inside reduced Michigan State's lead to 49-47, Blevins made his third and final 3, giving the Wildcats their first lead since 2-0.