Mike Krzyzewski’s farewell tour begins with a win. No. 9 Duke defeated No. 10 Kentucky 79-71 Tuesday night in the State Farm Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Duke’s Paolo Banchero led all scorers with 22 points. Oscar Tshiebwe had 17 points for Kentucky.

At the half, John Calipari was happy to be in it as UK trailed 39-35. Cal reminded ESPN’s Holly Rowe that the Cats almost lost 2 exhibition games ahead of the trip to The Garden.

UK started strong in the second half, taking an early 42-41 lead. It was a rare lead for Kentucky. The Cats led for just over 2 minutes of the game. In a game with 8 total lead changes and 2 ties, Duke led for over 35 minutes of the contest.

Kentucky lost despite being the better team from behind the 3-point line. The Wildcats made 7-of-18 3-pointers while Duke went just 1-of-13.

Free throws proved to be a deciding factor. The whistles favored Duke as the Blue Devils were 16-of-23 from the line while the Cats shot a total of 7 free throws, making 6 of them.

In Game 1, it’s difficult to assess what it means for either team. The Wildcats and Blue Devils are each ranked in the Top 10 despite disappointing 2020-21 campaigns.