Big Blue Preview: Kentucky vs. Duke
When it comes to college basketball’s “blueblood” programs, they don’t get much bluer than Kentucky and Duke. Those two programs will face off on Tuesday night in the State Farm Champions Classic in Atlanta.
UK holds eight national championships and the most wins in college basketball history. Duke has won five titles and is fourth on the all-time wins list. The series between the two teams has been evenly matched, with Kentucky winning 12 times to Duke’s 11.
Of course, there are a number of memorable games between these two programs. In 1978, Jack Givens led Kentucky past Duke, giving UK its then fifth NCAA Championship. In 1992, Kentucky fans will remember what happened in Philadelphia in the NCAA Tournament regional final. Six years later, Tubby Smith’s Comeback Cats rallied past Duke in the regional final in Tampa, winning and eventually claiming UK’s seventh national title.
Now, the programs are set to meet again, the first meeting between the schools since 2021. That season, ninth-ranked Duke held off No. 10 Kentucky 79-71 in Madison Square Garden.
This season’s teams are both off to solid starts. Kentucky has won both of its regular season games, and has done so in style. The Cats beat Wright State 103-62 to open the 2024-25 season, then topped Bucknell 100-72 on Saturday.
Kentucky currently has seven players averaging in double figures in scoring. Koby Brea leads the team, averaging 19 points per game, while Otega Oweh averages 15.5. Amari Williams (12.5 ppg), Jaxson Robinson (11 ppg), Andrew Carr (11 ppg), Lamont Butler (10 ppg) and Ansley Almonor (10 ppg) are also double-figure scorers. Williams is also averaging 13.5 rebounds per contest.
On Monday, Oweh was in front of the media, and he said that Cats are ready to play in this high-profile game.
“Pretty excited,” Oweh said. “We’re treating it as just another game but whenever you get to travel and play in a different arena that yours, it’s always exciting. It’s always exciting to see where we’re at and we’ll see how our work we put in during the offseason is going to pay off.”
Oweh and the Cats hope that their maturity can be significant against the Blue Devils on Tuesday night.
“I think it plays into it a big part. We’ve all been here, we’ve all played in big games, played against a rival. We’ve all been in that area. We just try to take the same approach, like we’re playing a normal game. We’re a mature group and we know that we can’t go out there and just start playing different because it’s a different arena. We have stay to our principles.”
Duke has easily won both of its early season contests. The Blue Devils topped Maine 96-62, then beat Army West Point 100-58. Kon Knueppel leads Duke in scoring through two games, averaging 18.5 points per game, while freshman phenom Cooper Flagg is averaging 15.5 points and nine rebounds per contest.
The Kentucky-Duke game will follow the night’s first contest, which features Kansas and Michigan State. The UK-Duke game is scheduled for a 9 p.m. tip and it can be seen on ESPN.
Hitting the Boards in Win Over Bison
After being challenged by head coach Mark Pope during the week’s practices, the Wildcats pounded the boards and snared 57 rebounds, including 22 on the offensive glass.
It was the most rebounds for the Wildcats since hauling in 59 vs. Arizona State on Nov. 28, 2016.
Amari Williams led the way with 14 boards. He is just the fourth player in program history to tally 13 or more rebounds in each of his first two games with the program. The others are Dan Issel, Julius Randle and Oscar Tshiebwe.
Kentucky’s success on the glass resulted in 19 second-chance
points.
Some additional notes from the win:
• Koby Brea drained a career-high-tying six 3-pointers. He has made 10 of 12 (83.3%) in two games
• Kerr Kriisa tied his career high with 12 assists. He added six points and four rebounds in the win
• UK dished out an assist on 23 of 38 made field goals, an assist rate of 60.5%. Through two games, UK has an assist rate of 68.8%
The Century “Mark”
Kentucky opened the season by scoring 100 or more points in consecutive games. It marked the first time in 46 years, since the 1978-79 season, that UK hit the century mark in each of the first two outings.
During his two-year active playing career at Kentucky, Pope was a part of 13 100-point outings for the Wildcats. The 1994-95 squad hit the mark four times, while the 1995-96 National Champions had nine such games.
The Champions Classic
Kentucky is 5-8 in Champions Classic games. Kentucky is 1-3 against Duke in the event.
This will mark the first time the event has been held in Atlanta’s State Farm Arena. The teams met in the Georgia Dome in 2013 (the only other time the event took place in Atlanta), with the No. 9 Blue Devils topping the No. 3 Cats by a 75-68 score.
From Lex, to the League, and Back Again
Mark Pope brings a unique background and experience to Kentucky as the 23rd head coach of the men’s basketball program.
• Mark Pope is one of 49 head coaches at the NCAA Division I level that is the head coach at his alma mater
• Mark Pope is one of 19 head coaches at the NCAA Division I level that played in the NBA
• Mark Pope is one of just five head coaches at the NCAA Division I level who played at their alma mater, played in the NBA, and now coach at their alma mater (Hubert Davis – UNC, Penny Hardaway – Memphis, Mike Woodson – Indiana, Speedy Claxton – Hofstra)
