Kentucky defeats No. 6 Duke 77-72 in Atlanta

The first high-profile matchup of the Mark Pope The era ended with euphoria for the Big Blue Nation.

There were several points Tuesday night in Atlanta where it felt like Kentucky was on the verge of being knocked out by the No. 6 Duke Blue Devils. But this hard-charging group of Wildcats never gave up, fighting for the entire 40 minutes and ultimately crushing Duke's talented freshmen.

Thanks to some clutch-free throws over Otega Oweh and lockdown defense on Duke's projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flag, No. 19 Kentucky emerged from the Champions Classic with a 77-72 victory. Great Britain only led for just over seven minutes of play but stepped up when the moment called for it. Both teams shot 40 percent from the field, but Kentucky's 10-25 mark from distance (compared to 4-23 for Duke) made the difference.

Oweh was one of Kentucky's standouts with 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. His outstanding play in the final minutes ensured victory for Great Britain. Andrew Carr However, he was arguably the most important Wildcat with 17 points, five rebounds and three assists. He scored nine of his points in the second half. Amari Williams With ten points and eight rebounds, he completed Great Britain's double-digit scorers.

Flagg, the wildly talented 17-year-old freshman, finished his night with 26 points and 12 rebounds, but shot just 9-19 from the field and was hounded by Kentucky's defenders throughout the second half.

Duke threw the first punch and immediately took a 4-0 lead as Kentucky looked shaken. However, Pope's group of veterans would settle in quickly. A 5-5 start from distance for the Wildcats put them ahead by as many as six players. Flagg made his presence felt early and increased his lead to 12 points in the first 12 minutes of the game. This was around the time that Kentucky's half-court offense was stalling, made worse by a rough opening half on both ends of the court by the starting point guard Lamont Butler.

After making its first five shots from deep, Kentucky missed the next eight. Duke found itself in the double bonus after about 11 minutes. A contested layup by Kon stick gave the Blue Devils a six-point lead. Shortly thereafter, with 6:40 left in the first half, Flagg was assessed his second personal foul and went to the bench. Koby Brea would end Great Britain's drought in outside shooting thanks to a three-pointer that made it 33-29 less than five minutes before halftime.

Duke later led by as many as 10 points before settling for a halftime score of 46-37. The Blue Devils recorded just one turnover in the first half, compared to seven in Great Britain. Carr, Oweh and Butler all had two fouls, while Duke's Flagg (2), Khaman Maluach (2) and Maliq Brown (3) was also in foul trouble. The Blue Devils lived offside with 26 points. Kentucky only had six. Jaxson Robinson Had zero shot attempts for the “Cats.”

Kentucky would come out of the locker room ready to fight, scoring the first five points of the second half. Duke continued to keep the Wildcats at bay despite Maluach and Sion James came at bad times. Butler, who played much better at the start of the half, completed an and-one that brought Great Britain within three points after the media timeout with less than 12 minutes left.

That momentum was immediately ended with a 5-0 run by Duke. But it went back and forth like a seesaw. A pair of layups for Kentucky made the score 61-57 in favor of the Blue Devils with 8:29 to play. Brandon Garrison With two consecutive throws, the British deficit increased to less than two points for the first time since 8:23 minutes before the end first half.

Kentucky stayed close and refused to let Duke go on a big run. Before the final media timeout, Carr converted an and-one that increased the score to 67-67. Carr would then find Oweh for a wide open backcut that gave the Wildcats the lead. The Blue Devils would call a timeout with 2:09 remaining.

The lead didn't last long. After the break, Flagg converted an and-one that put Duke right back in the lead. But Carr got right back into the game with the same score as Kentucky regained the lead at 72-70. Flagg would tie the game with 1:14 left and had a chance to win it on the final possession, but Oweh ripped the ball away, spun to the floor and was fouled attempting a layup.

He hit both freebies to put Great Britain in the lead. Flagg turned the ball over on the other end to save Duke. Kentucky made enough free throws to secure the win. The Pope's era couldn't begin better.