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Kentucky defeated Duke 77-72 on Tuesday night in the second game of the Champions Classic.
Duke led for much of the game, but the Wildcats’ defense was suffocating throughout the second half. Kentucky was able to force some timely turnovers and make some clutch shots in crunch time, which went a long way toward securing this victory.
Here are 3 takeaways from Kentucky’s big win:
Kentucky’s crunch time defense was elite
Kentucky trailed for almost the entirety of this game, but its defense kept things close all the way through.
Flagg hit a 3-pointer with 10:21 left in the game to give the Blue Devils a 61-53 lead. More than 8 minutes rolled off the clock and Duke had only managed to add 6 points to its total. That dry spell — a 1-for-11 stretch from the field — eventually led to Kentucky jumping out in front 69-67 with 2:40 to go.
Duke struggled offensively for the entire second half. The Blue Devils shot just 29% from the floor and 9% from the 3-point line after the break, clearing the way for Kentucky to mount its comeback in the closing minutes of the game.
Kentucky also forced a couple of turnovers by Flagg in the final minute to secure the victory.
Cooper Flagg looks the part
Kerr Kriisa may have his doubts, but Cooper Flagg looked every bit the part of a potential No. 1 overall draft pick on Tuesday night. Facing the first real test of his collegiate career, Flagg led Duke with 26 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocked shots.
Flagg’s motor and intensity were on display all night long as they always are. That’s his calling card as a prospect. But he also showed solid growth as a shot creator on the perimeter — even if he only went 1-for-5 from 3-point range.
That’s not going to be his biggest strength at Duke this season, but he already showed that he’s further along as an offensive hub than many projected him to be at this stage. Remember, Flagg is very young for this class — he’s still 17 years old until mid December.
While it wasn’t a perfect debut (Flagg did turn it over twice in the final minute), he showed more than enough to get excited about against the Wildcats.
A perfect start to the Mark Pope era
Vibes have been high in Lexington ever since Mark Pope was introduced as the successor to John Calipari last spring. For a team that’s largely full of transfers and newcomers, this was an excellent result to big the Pope era.
Players up and down the lineup made contributions. Andrew Carr scored 17 points on 8 shots. Otega Oweh had 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, a block and 2 steals. As a team, the Wildcats shot 40% from 3-point range.
Much work is left for the Wildcats, but it’s hard to complain about anything after beating a star-studded Duke team like Kentucky managed to do on Tuesday night.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
