ATLANTA— Duke had an answer for every Kentucky run. Except the last one.

No. 19 Kentucky defeated No. 6 Duke 77-72 in a game that lived up to its Champions Classic name. Trailing by double digits after halftime, the Wildcats continued to regain the lead from the Blue Devils. And their last great effort made the difference.

Caleb Foster rebounded the ball with 30 seconds left and Duke called a timeout with the game tied at 72. Head coach Jon Scheyer had a simple decision: Give the ball to his freshman phenom year.

However, Cooper Flagg lost the ball and Otega Oweh connected on two free throws. Flagg gave it back again on the ensuing possession, essentially sealing the deal for the Lexington team.

Wake Forest transfer Andrew Carr committed a blocking foul on Tyrese Proctor and finished well on the glass for an and-one before the under-four media timeout. His successful free throw then tied the game at 67; it was shaping up to be an easy finish.

Duke looked for answers on the offensive end, as seemingly every possession down the stretch ended with a turnover or improbable shot attempt. Flagg passed Koby Brea and scored a hoop with the injury. But Carr responded with an and-one, and Kentucky led 72-70 with less than two minutes to play.

Brea threw a rocket pass to Brandon Garrison to make it 63-61, and a 3-pointer by Kerr Kriisa off a ball screen made it a one-point game with five minutes remaining. When the Blue Devils missed two more 3-pointers — a key theme throughout the second half — it seemed like anyone’s game.

The Wildcats came out of their under-12 timeout with a full-court press, as they were down one possession for the first time since midway through the first half. After a high-scoring affair in the first period, the Blue Bloods locked down defensively. Kentucky’s experience inside and Duke’s shooting woes meant nothing would be easy for the Blue Devils.

Mark Pope’s team-signature offensive 3-point barrage was on display early on, as the Wildcats moved the ball with ease and knocked down their first five triples – from four different players. They took a 19-13 lead after a Jaxson Robinson free throw as chants of “Go Big Blue” echoed through State Farm Arena.

But the competition quickly turned the team in Durham’s favor. Two keys bolstered Duke’s offense in the first half: free throws and transition opportunities.

The Blue Devils were in the bonus with over nine minutes remaining in the first half and took advantage of their opportunities on the charity strip. Flagg and Knueppel made it five straight to the line and a subsequent layup by Flagg capped a 13-5 Duke run to give them a 28-24 lead. This completely changed the dynamic of the first half.

The Blue Devils made a concerted effort to push the ball after every rebound, and James capitalized on a 6-0 Blue Devils run with a slam of his own in transition. Duke had just one turnover in the entire first half and scored 11 points on errors compared to Kentucky’s zero.

The pick-and-roll game was deadly for Duke. In back-to-back offensive sets, Maluach’s presence as a lob threat kept the Wildcat guards honest. First, Knueppel used his body to finish inside on the left. Then, Proctor went for an alley-oop against his international teammate, and finally, Maluach finished off an offensive rebound to give Duke a 10-point lead, 32-22.

On the other hand, the once-high-scoring Wildcats finished the half 2-for-11 from deep after starting 5-for-5. The Blue Devils turned up their defensive intensity and rode that momentum until the locker room during a 46-37 lead at halftime. However, they failed to maintain this score in the last 20 minutes of play.

Duke will next face Wofford on Saturday at noon at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

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Ranjan Jindal
| Sports editor

Ranjan Jindal is a Trinity junior and sports editor for the 120th volume of The Chronicle.