Kentucky prepares for Duke like any other game, but excited for national spotlight

The tune-ups are officially over for Kentucky, coasting through the exhibition schedule and both regular season matchups to start the year 2-0. It’s been a blast racking up the feel-good wins, but the competition is about to hit a new level with the No. 19 Wildcats heading to Atlanta to take on No. 6 Duke in the Champions Classic. Can Mark Pope get his first signature victory as the coach of the greatest tradition in college basketball? We’re about to find out.

It’s obviously a big moment for the first-year coach leading his alma mater, but it’s pretty massive for the players, too. Events like these are why you play at Kentucky, looking to prove you can compete and produce at the sport’s highest level. All eyes from casual to diehard will be on the action inside State Farm Arena, particularly this matchup between the bluest of blue bloods — no offense to Kansas and Michigan State. The Wildcats embrace that opportunity.

“It’s fun, it’s our first road trip,” Amari Williams said Monday. “Guys haven’t really experienced that yet, and neither have I. There’s a lot of fun surrounding it. Like Coach Pope says, it’s the next game, but in the big arena, it’s going to be fun, for sure.”

“It’s going to be a big event, playing Duke. I’m just excited to play them,” Otega Oweh added. “… I just want to play at the highest level, some of these rivalry games. Those are the things I was looking forward to. The fact that it’s in Atlanta, it’s a difference scene. I’m really excited.”

Oweh played in the Big 12 at Oklahoma before making his way to Kentucky, but Williams didn’t get many high-major opportunities at Drexel. The biggest game he played in at his previous stop was against a ranked Villanova squad in the Big Five Classic last season, the 7-foot center going for 12 points, six rebounds and five blocks in the upset win inside the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

“That was one of the biggest highlights of my career so far,” Williams said.

Will this one top it? Probably, but the Wildcats have a loaded schedule of high-profile matchups coming both now and down the road during SEC play.

“I’d say so, just because of the stage and where it’s at and who we’re playing,” he added. “I feel like a lot of the games coming up this season will have the same feeling.”

“A lot of the games coming up, even in conference play,” Oweh added. “It’s just great matchups, matchups I didn’t really think I’d ever be a part of. That’s definitely going to be fun, for sure.”

Let’s not forget about Pope’s message of remaining focused on the moment and never looking too far ahead or behind, though. He wanted to see execution against Wright State and Bucknell before even thinking about Duke. And now that the Blue Devils are here, that’s the priority — not Clemson or Gonzaga or Louisville or Ohio State or anything we’ll see within the conference.

The difference with this matchup, factoring in all of the lights and national attention? Well, nothing. The Wildcats are going to prepare with the same level of attention to detail and respect they’ve had for their opponents up to this point. It’ll be fun, but all games are fun and they’re all equally important.

“We’re pretty excited. We’re treating it like any other game, but when you get to travel and play in a different arena than yours, it’s always pretty exciting,” Oweh said. “It’s exciting to see where we’re at and see the work that we’ve put in during the offseason pay off. … Coach has been preaching — even before this game — the game we’re about to play is the most important game of our lives. We’re in the moment, be where your feet are.

“You just don’t want to look ahead and prepare the same for every game so you don’t get too high or too low. We know this is a big game, but we’re just looking at it as another game we have to go out there and win.”

It’s hard to get too caught up in the rivalry factor when none of them have been a part of it. They know of it, but not the specifics and the history — particularly Kentucky winning just two of its last 11 head-to-head battles with Duke dating back to the 70s. The Wildcats hold a 12-11 lead overall, but the series has heavily favored the Blue Devils as of late.

No losing streak on their shoulders individually.

“I don’t know much about it. I know the matchup switches up every year,” Williams said of the Duke rivalry and the Champions Classic losing streak. “The only rivalry I know about right now is Louisville, I don’t know about the others yet.”

“It’s a rivalry between two blue-blood schools,” Oweh added. “I know they don’t get to play much, so every game is important.”

Point being, they know the game matters, but every game matters. Did fans get more upset about the Kansas loss last year or UNC Wilmington? Both is the correct answer.

That’s why preparing for Duke the same way Kentucky prepared for Wright State and Bucknell is crucial. The team understands that you can’t get higher for one opponent compared to another. That approach is the easiest way to get burned.

“We’re a mature group so we know we can’t go out there and play different because it’s a big game,” Oweh said. “We have to stay to our principles. We’re preparing for this just like we do every game.”

Younger Otega may have let the emotions get the best of him in a matchup like this, wanting to show out on the big stage with the entire basketball world watching. Now he just wants to pull out a win and move to 3-0 on the season with a week to prepare for Lipscomb on Nov. 19.

Not minimizing this opportunity, obviously, but not letting the magnitude of it consume him.

“He would’ve been excited, seeing the bright lights, being at Kentucky and playing against Duke. He would’ve definitely been excited, for sure,” Oweh said of his likely approach earlier in his basketball career. “Now that I’m older, I kinda just see it as another game. I’m just blessed and excited to be a part of this.”

How do the Cats move to 3-0, as hoped?

“Just stick to our principles, try not to get out of doing what we do,” he added. “We just have to go in there and play the way we play, be aggressive, execute on plays, guard. I feel like when we guard, it sets up our offense. We just have to stay consistent in what we do.”

That doesn’t mean there won’t be any nerves. Williams expects those to pop up a bit leading up to the opening tip before the war inside State Farm Arena begins.

“I feel like we’ll feel it right before the game starts during warm-ups and stuff,” he said. “It’s just energy that we’ll use in a great way to help us in the game.”

Time to be still in the moment of another win — even if this one will have a different look.