At halftime of Kentucky’s narrow loss to Michigan State on Tuesday night, Kentucky freshman forward Julius Randle remained mortal. His stat line read 4 points, 4 rebounds and 4 turnovers.

He came out in beast mode in the second half.

John Calipari’s young, inexperienced Kentucky squad might have lost to the veteran-laden Spartans in the Champions Classic, but one takeaway from the game for the rest of the nation to digest: Randle is a force of nature and established himself as one of the most dominant players in the country. The 6-9 versatile forward put the Wildcats on his back, finishing with 27 points and 13 rebounds in a performance that included several plays in which he scored despite double and triple teams.

When asked how to stop Randle in a postgame interview, MSU’s Adreian Payne said, “Probably just gonna have to double him, he’s got a great first step.”

“He’s a beast down there,” coach Tom Izzo said after the game. “He’s got a little Chris Webber in him. What I like is he gritted his teeth. and had great toughness for a freshman.”

Via USA TODAY Sports’ Eric Prisbell:

No offense to Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker, but Julius Randle made a strong case that he is college basketball’s most dominant player right now. After looking somewhat hesitant and out of sorts in the first half, Randle looked irrepressible in the second half. The 6-foot-9 Dallas native was virtually unstoppable near the basket. He turned in his third consecutive game of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. Safe to say he has a bright future.

Here are some more tweets that speak volumes:

Julius Randle comes to presser, Calipari sends him back to locker room because of cramps. “I told you to take yourself out,” Cal jokes. — Joe Rexrode (@joerexrode) November 13, 2013

Keys to Kentucky Success 1) Give Julius Randle the ball 2) Give Julius Randle the ball 3) Give Julius Randle the ball — ESPN (@espn) November 13, 2013

Freshman Julius Randle of Kentucky goes for a ferocious 27 and 13. 20 minutes to the Kansas game. Your move, Andrew Wiggins. — Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) November 13, 2013