Koby Brea

Kentucky's Koby Brea fires a three-pointer in the Wildcats' season-opening win over Wright State. Brea, who led the nation in three-point shooting at Dayton in 2023-24, has made 10 of his first 12 threes this season.

 Associated Press / James Crisp

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- First-year Kentucky men's basketball coach Mark Pope has been revving his team's engines against overmatched competition for a couple of weeks. Now it's time to get off the test track and into a more competitive situation.

Tonight's 9 p.m. game against No. 6 Duke in the Champions Classic in Atlanta ought to qualify.

The Wildcats, ranked No. 19 in the latest AP poll released Monday, are averaging 101.5 points per game and shooting 53.5% from the field. Duke is averaging 98 points per game and shooting 52.2% from the field.

Buckle up.

While the game around here is viewed as a measuring stick game for Kentucky, it's every bit the same for Duke. While the Blue Devils do return their coach (Jon Scheyer) and their starting backcourt (Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster), they're also relying far more on freshmen than Pope and Kentucky.

The Wildcats have a slew of big-time performers who transferred in from elsewhere, none bigger than Lamont Butler, who hit a game-winning shot to send San Diego State into the NCAA championship game a year ago.

But they've never been in a game of this magnitude together, or with Pope.

Duke has Top 10 matchups against Arizona, Kansas and Auburn in the coming weeks. Kentucky plays Gonzaga in the first week of December and Ohio State just before Christmas.

It's always special when these programs play. A look at the matchup:

Game at a Glance

  • Teams: No. 19 Kentucky (2-0) vs. No. 6 Duke (2-0)
  • When: 9 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 12
  • Where: State Farm Arena, Atlanta
  • Broadcast: ESPN, UK Radio Network (840-AM)
  • Coaches:
    • Mark Pope: 2-0 in his first season at Kentucky, 189-108 in his 10th season overall.
    • Jon Scheyer: 55-18 in his third season at Duke, and overall.

Why it Matters

It always matters when these teams meet.

  • Kentucky leads the series 12-11 but Duke has won nine of the past 11 and is 3-1 when the teams have met in the Champions Classic.
  • The game will provide an important indicator of where the teams stand early on.
  • For Pope, it's an early high-profile national test in his first season at Kentucky. 

Players to Watch

Short story -- just watch everybody. But among the top performers

  • For Duke, all eyes are on a pair of freshmen — Cooper Flag, a 6-9 forward from Newport, Maine, was the top-rated high school player in last season's class and is averaging 15.5 points and 9 rebounds per game in pair of early season victories. Kon Kneppel is a 6-foot-7-inch forward from Milwaukee who is averaging 18.5 points per game and was a top-20 recruit. That pair leads the team in minutes played.
  • For Kentucky, Koby Brea led the nation in three-point shooting last season and has picked right up in Lexington, going 10-12 in the Wildcats' first two games. He leads the team in scoring off the bench at 19 points per game. Amari Williams, a 7-foot grad transfer from Drexel, has opened his UK career with a pair of double-doubles and is averaging 12.5 points and 13.5 rebounds per game.

Stats that Matter

Both teams are lighting it up from three-point range – Duke is 41.8% beyond the arc, while Kentucky is at 40 percent. Kentucky has been an outstanding passing team, averaging 26.5 assists through two games, while Duke, in four games (two regular-season, two exhibition) has allowed just 24.4% shooting from beyond the arc.

X-Factors

Kentucky's leader in minutes played is Otega Oweh, a junior transfer from Oklahoma who is averaging 15.5 points and four rebounds per game. He has been a settling influence for the Wildcats, and says that Pope told him to simplify his game a bit more, which has led to good dividends. The 6-foot-4-inch Oweh can score at all three levels and is a strong defender.

For Duke, Flagg gets the attention, but fellow freshman Knueppel has been a do-it-all player early on. His athleticism is next level, he defends well, and he, like Flagg, has the ability to create for teammates.

The Take

Duke is a 5.5-point favorite in the game and is 13 spots above Kentucky in the AP poll. KenPom has it 83-76 Duke and has the ranking spread wide. Still, there's a lot of experience on this Kentucky team, some solid players at both ends and Pope's offense has performed like clockwork. The game likely is going to come down to who is better defensively. Duke has been a bit better defensively on the perimeter and probably gets the nod because it does have a starting backcourt returning and continuity on the coaching staff. I'd give Kentucky the edge in depth. This one is going to be a shootout and figures to leave fans anticipating a Round 2 in the postseason. I'll call it Duke 82-80, but won't at all be surprised if Kentucky wears down the Blue Devils in this one and creates a bit more game pressure on the Blue Devils' freshmen than they've seen to this point.

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