Defense -- not offense -- from Jaxson Robinson, Koby Brea helped Kentucky beat Duke

Jaxson Robinson and Koby Brea combined for just nine points in Kentucky’s 77-72 win over Duke. It was a bit of a shock, as it’s no secret that these two fifth-year veterans are among the Wildcats’ most capable shooters. Actually, scratch that — they’re the two best shooters in UK’s rotation. A lot of the offense depends on them to hit open (and sometimes contested) looks.

But Tuesday night in Atlanta wasn’t about making shots for them — Andrew Carr took care of that down the stretch. It was about finding ways to impact the game when it’s unlikely you’re going to score in double-figures. That was especially true with Robinson, who finished with just one point on 0-4 shooting, including a 1-3 mark from the free throw line. Brea managed to chip in eight points on 3-5 shooting, but that was tied for the fifth-most among Kentucky players.

Head coach Mark Pope had to find points elsewhere. He found just enough to sneak past a talented and young Duke team. But most expected that the winning side of this matchup would finish with at least 80 points. Kentucky needed just 77. Pope’s halftime adjustments on defense limited the Blue Devils to only 26 points after the break.

It was certainly a defensive team effort to lock up the likes of Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel down the stretch, but Pope praised both Robinson and Brea individually for their dedication on that end of the floor. He was particularly pleased with Robinson’s effort. The BYU transfer’s shot wasn’t falling, but that didn’t affect how he did everything else on the floor. Don’t think the NBA scouts in attendance didn’t recognize it, either.

“He played great. He made huge defensive plays down the stretch,” Pope said of Robinson, who recorded two blocks and a steal. “We do a — it’s a pretty raw reporting deal but we do points given up. Jaxson was responsible for giving up two points in the entire game. You think about the matchups that he had. He was actually elite. He had some massive toughness plays down the stretch. I was incredibly proud of him.

“He carried a lot of water in this game.”

Brea received similar praise from Pope. The Dayton transfer drew the assignment on Knueppel whenever Otega Oweh was on the bench. Knueppel shot just 1-8 from the field in the second half and 5-20 for the game. There was plenty of switching throughout, but Brea did what his team needed when matched up on the ball. He pulled in five defensive rebounds, as well.

“I thought Koby made some big-time defensive plays actually,” Pope said. “I thought he had some terrific defensive efforts and there’s space for him to grow. It’s both, right? From him, we got a bunch of film and a bunch of data about where he was really terrific and some space where he needs to grow. I still think he has more defensive game in the tank, where he can continue to grow into an elite defender. But he had some moments where he was really effective.”

Robinson wasn’t Kentucky’s “go-to” scorer this time around, but there will be plenty of games this season where he is. Continuing to lock in on defense is what will keep him on the floor even when he’s not in a groove offensively. As for Brea, Pope will have no choice but to keep him in the game if the defensive energy levels keep up.

We’re only three games into the season, so being cautious is the right approach, but this Kentucky defense doesn’t appear to be the one that was expected to struggle during talking season.

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