LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – In just its third game under Mark Pope, Kentucky delivered something it has been unable to accomplish in nine years of NBA starters and Hall of Fame coaching.
A victory over Duke.
A steal and a pair of free throws by Otega Oweh and a deflection of Cooper Flagg and a forced turnover by Amari Williams on the other end put Kentucky in control with 5.1 seconds left, then a Lamont Butler free throw and Oweh offensive rebound sealed a thrilling 77-72 victory for the Wildcats in the State Farm Champions Classic in Atlanta.
Tell me if you’ve seen this before Kentucky fans. A Wildcats team that played 10 deep, outshot Duke from three-point range, dug deep on defense to erase a double-digit deficit and used superior depth down the stretch to wear down a Top 5 opponent.
Oh – and a runout baseline out-of-bounds play in the final seconds.
You may have seen it before, but you haven’t seen it for a while. Kentucky did not have more talent than Duke. But it did have more depth, and in the second half, it dug deep and outplayed Duke, outscoring the No. 6-ranked Blue Devils by 14 in the second half, allowing only 26 points and 10-of-34 shooting (1-of-11 from three-point range) after the break.
Kentucky just kept coming.
It was only the Wildcats' third win over Duke in their past dozen tries, and their first since 2015. And in Pope’s third game, he has delivered a signature win — and a message that he has a talented and tough-minded team that should be a factor in a brutal Southeastern Conference and beyond.
Nobody knows better what this game will mean to Kentucky's program and fan base than Pope, but he was quick to deflect credit after the game.
"This is about us, it's not about me," Pope said. "...When it can be about us, that's when it can be magic."
And there was a little bit of magic in the second half for Kentucky -- and a lot of defense.
Kentucky doesn't have Duke's talent. It does have better depth, and a lot of guys who have played a lot of games and who are going to keep bringing it. Which is something fans have been craving for a lot of years.
— Eric Crawford (@ericcrawford) November 13, 2024
Kentucky outscored Duke 30-12 from three-point range to offset a 46-26 Duke edge in the paint. Kentucky’s bench outscored Duke’s 25-6, led by Brandon Garrison and Koby Brea with eight points each.
In a game of Cadillac program, all Pope needed to prevail was a decent Carr. Wake Forest transfer Andrew Carr led the Wildcats with 17 points, and was huge in the second half. Oweh added 15 points and Williams had 10.
Kentucky was the better team down the stretch. Pope made a big move in sliding Carr into the five spot for a few offensive possessions. He also made a savvy call to challenge an out-of-bounds call with just under two minutes to play reversing possession. And Kentucky’s veteran transfers executed late when they had to.
Duke had just two field goals in the final four minutes and made just three of its final 14 shots. Flagg, the freshman phenom, led all scorers with 26 points but turned it over twice in the final minutes. Duke, which struggled with an injury to Sion James and cramping by big man Khaman Maluach down the stretch, also got 14 points from Kon Knueppel and 12 from Tyrese Proctor.
Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
