How Kentucky pulled off its upset win over Duke in the Champions Classic

They are who we thought they were — both teams. Kentucky is old and battle tested while Duke is talented and green. The Wildcats may not have any surefire pros while the Blue Devils have as many as three lottery picks and the likely No. 1 selection next June. There were times Jon Scheyer’s group appeared to be on the cusp of running away with the win, leading by as many as ten in the first half and nine in the second. Others, you questioned if Mark Pope’s squad was gearing up for its big run, continuing to hang around and riding the waves of length and athleticism that kept crashing its way.

Then the tide officially turned, Kentucky tying it up with 3:57 to go before taking its first lead since midway through the first half with 2:40 left. Even a Cooper Flagg and-one to retake the lead couldn’t kill the Wildcats’ momentum, Andrew Carr finishing with an and-one of his own the other way and the underdog holding on through the final buzzer to close out the 77-72 victory.

What did we learn about Kentucky in Atlanta, Pope guiding the Cats to their first Champions Classic win since 2019 after losing six of the last seven and nine of the last 11? They’ve got guts, for one.

Let’s run through the top takeaways from State Farm Arena.

Resolve keeps Kentucky within striking distance

Duke undoubtedly expected Kentucky to die, controlling most of the game with a 27:40-7:11 difference in time ahead. The Blue Devils missed shots with a 39.4 percent hit rate overall and 17.4 percent from deep, but the talent difference was apparent. They passed the eye test while the Wildcats hung in there with seven first-half 3-pointers, the law of averages likely working in the favorite’s favor with a cooldown inevitable at some point, paving the path for a comfortable finish.

Instead, Kentucky lurked until a window opened to strike, that patience and maturity to avoid letting go of the rope paying off in the form of Pope’s first statement victory as head coach.

“Ton of respect for him and them,” Jon Scheyer said. “Their offense has been impressive watching on film. Our guys in the first half did a really good job on them and they just kept coming at us. That’s where that experience for them really paid off.”

Andrew Carr breaks through against a familiar foe

The Wake Forest transfer had played Duke four times in the ACC before making the move to Kentucky — all double-digit scoring efforts. Last year alone Carr had one 18-point performance on 8-14 shooting, then another 12-point finish on 6-9 shooting. He’s no stranger to the matchup or moment of taking on the Blue Devils.

That’s why his 17-point, five-rebound, three-assist performance on 5-8 shooting and 2-3 from three felt so normal, no matter how big or bright the stage. Carr simply showed up and went to work, going for eight in the first half and nine in the second, highlighted by two massive and-ones in the final segment of the game to swing the momentum back in Kentucky’s favor.

His two early threes set the tone, but it was the way he finished that told you everything you need to know about why Pope literally went the extra mile to add him out of the portal. Right when the Wildcats needed him most, Carr showed up.

No-shows from Jaxson Robinson and Lamont Butler?

If you would have told me the reigning Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year and Kentucky’s prized portal addition would finish with a whopping one points on 0-4 shooting, I would ask you how ugly it got. The same can be said about the two-time Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, who had five points on 2-5 shooting with two rebounds, one assist and two turnovers at halftime.

Butler was doing way too much and Robinson was doing way too little. Neither looked ready for the spotlight, despite entering the season as Kentucky’s veteran leaders.

To their credit, though, they both showed up in the second half in their own ways. He didn’t make shots, but Robinson made plays on the defensive end while Butler cleaned things up on both ends, leading the team in assists after the break with no additional turnovers. His made free throw with five seconds to go also pushed the lead to three, forcing overtime, at worst — though Otega Oweh grabbed the offensive rebound on the second miss and turned it into two makes of his own to really seal the deal.

Despite ugly surface-level performances for the fifth-year seniors, Pope raved about both after the win.

“We didn’t win without Jaxson. He’s a gravity guy,” he said. “Just throw him on the floor and four guys are on him. Jaxson has grown into an exceptional leader. Jax made a huge contribution tonight, he’s a dangerous man.”

“Lamont is the foundation of this team,” he added. “He’s one of the best people I’ve ever met and he’s a winner. … He had an unbelievable second half.”

An underrated Brandon Garrison stretch

Amari Williams set the tone with his physicality early en route to 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 20 minutes — although he got a little carried away with the post-up scoring attempts, shooting just 3-12 from the field. As the 7-footer’s efficiency waned, it was his backup stepping up in a pretty crucial second-half stretch for the Wildcats that helped make it a one-score game with just under seven minutes to go.

He entered the game and recorded a quick block and steal, followed by an offensive rebound and second-chance bucket to cut it to four. Duke responded with a two, only for Garrison to do the same in the form of a deep jumper from the top of the key later ruled a long two — a development that ruined Mark Pope’s night.

“That makes me kinda sad,” he said.

He followed that up with a fast break layup to make it 63-61 with 6:49 to go, the closest it had been since the first half. He’d finish with eight points on 4-5 shooting with four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal, but those two minutes were as important as any for the Cats in the victory.

Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel are as advertised

Flagg turned the ball over twice in a row in the last 12 seconds to lose the game for Duke. Knueppel shot just 5-20 from the field and 1-8 from three in defeat. Both players are certified superstars who deserve every bit of praise they get.

Scheyer pointed this out after the game, but Flagg was the only reason the Blue Devils were in position to cruise at various moments. He finished with 26 points on 9-19 shooting and 7-9 at the line while adding 12 rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 32 minutes — including all 20 in the second half. The 6-9 freshman created and got downhill, making ridiculous pull-up jumpers look like layups. Then he was the one-man wrecking crew on the defensive end he always is, to no one’s surprise. Slowing that guy down was no easy task.

As for Knueppel, he shot poorly, but that gravity Pope talked about with Robinson also applies to the 6-7 freshman. He got the defender’s best shot on every possession and still got to his spots with ease while missing some uncharacteristic looks. His pure skill is sky-high and his basketball IQ is somehow even higher. Physically limited, sure, but he’s got everything else you look for in a professional bucket-getter. Kentucky holding him to an inefficient 14 is no easy task and deserving of credit.