A new-look No. 19 Kentucky Wildcats squad rallied to beat the No. 6 Duke Blue Devils 77–72 at the State Farm Champions Classic on Tuesday in Atlanta.
Kentucky (3–0) didn’t look like a team with a new cast of players and first-year head coach after the program went through major changes with the departure of former head coach John Calipari. Instead, the Wildcats looked like a team with seasoned chemistry in a nine-point comeback against a top-10 team.
Kentucky went toe-to-toe with Duke (2–1) early as the two teams traded baskets throughout the first 10 minutes, but the Blue Devils built a seven-point lead at 33–29, aided by junior guard Tyrese Proctor’s three-pointer. Proctor had a strong first half for Duke as he did a little bit of everything from hitting shots to creating opportunities for his teammates.
Duke made it a nine-point game by halftime, 46–37, but Kentucky started the second half fast on a three-pointer by junior guard Otega Oweh. Wildcats forward Andrew Carr then made it a four-point game, 46–42, on a post-up shot.
“I was really proud of how the guys came out in the second half,” Pope said. “So we’re always trying to monitor our energy on our team. The guys are really conscious of where they’re letting their minds go.”
Carr continued his strong play in the post with another basket, 48–44, but the Blue Devils answered with more points in the post. Duke freshman forward Cooper Flagg pushed the lead back to seven, 52–45, as he spun near the baseline for the basket.
Kentucky guard Lamont Butler closed the gap to four points, 56–52, with a drive to the basket, but Flagg hit a three-pointer from the key to make it 61—53 minutes later. The Wildcats chipped away again as sophomore forward Brandon Garrison made it a four-point game on a lay-in, 61—57.
Oweh then pulled Kentucky within a basket, 63–61, with 6:51 remaining in the game. Fifth-year guard Karr Kriisa trimmed the deficit closer, 65–64, with a three-pointer off of a ball screen, and Carr tied the game 67–67 on a basket and free-throw with 3:57 left.
Carr then gave Kentucky the lead, 69–67, with 2:40 remaining on a basket in the lane. Flagg answered for Duke when he beat a double team with a basket on the next possession, and he hit a free-throw after the foul for a 70–69 lead.
Carr kept coming for Kentucky, however, with another bucket in the post and a free-throw after the foul, 72-70. Flagg likewise answered for Duke to tie the game 72–72 with 1:12 left.
Duke had a chance to break the tie with 14 seconds left, but Oweh stole the ball from Flagg and buried both free throws after a foul with 10.3 seconds remaining, 74–72. Kentucky then forced Flagg into a turnover with 5.1 seconds left.
Butler iced the game with a free throw on the next possession, 75–72, and Oweh put it further out of reach when he drew a foul after the second free throw with 0.5 seconds left. Oweh added two more free throws as he finished with 15 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
While Scheyer didn’t get the result he wanted for his squad, he saw promise in his team’s first loss of the season.
“We’ve got a long season to go,” Scheyer said. “I feel more optimistic tonight losing than I did even before because you find out in this game the character of your team, the heart that they have. And this team has got a lot of heart.”
