Kerr Kriisa sarcastically congratulates Cooper Flagg on 'already' being No. 1 pick ahead of Duke matchup

Mark Pope wanted his team to live in the moment and keep the focus on Bucknell before worrying about Duke — “This is the biggest game we’ve ever played,” he said ahead of the 100-72 victory over the Bison. Avoiding distractions would “be a determining factor in how good we are as a team.”

Kentucky checked that box to move to 2-0, and now, the focus turns to the Blue Devils in the first-year coach’s debut in the Champions Classic. Ready or not, here the spotlight comes.

How are his players preparing for the high-profile matchup in Atlanta? Does this one mean anything more than the others?

For Kerr Kriisa, he gets to take on the guy everyone has already announced as the No. 1 pick in next summer’s NBA Draft. The fifth-year senior made sure to congratulate Cooper Flagg on that honor ahead of the matchup.

“It’s going to be exciting — probably more exciting for the fans. Fans really get into the Duke vs. Kentucky matchup,” Kriisa said. “For us, it’s another game. Obviously the whole world is talking about Cooper Flagg, so we’re excited to play against the No. 1 draft pick. Congrats to him already. Excited.”

"Obviously the whole world is talking about Cooper Flagg, so we’re excited to play against the No. 1 draft pick. Congrats to him already."

Kerr Kriisa is ready for Duke.

READ: https://t.co/hPrlaGi9LN pic.twitter.com/LUYrNgy6Ay

— KSR (@KSRonX) November 10, 2024

His teammates didn’t contribute to the sarcasm, but they are looking forward to the head-to-head battle inside State Farm Arena on Tuesday. Moments like the one ahead are why you sign up to play at a school like Kentucky.

You want the big stage and they’re certainly going to get it.

“I can’t wait to go out there and do what we do, impose our will on the game and see how far it takes us,” Ansley Almonor said. “… We played Illinois last year and obviously played Purdue in the tournament. I’ve played big teams like that before, it’s just basketball at the end of the day. I’m just gonna go out there and be the hardest-playing, toughest teammate I can be. Hopefully we come out with a W.”

“It’s something we’re all looking forward to,” Koby Brea added. “We’re just trying to stay present in the moment, but we’re definitely looking forward to the game. They’ve got a pretty good team, as they always are. We know they’ve got all those young guys. We’re still waiting for the scout and all of that, that’s something we’ll think more about tomorrow. But we’re going to stay present in the moment and worry about today.”

What about Pope’s view? Does he feel his guys are ready for a challenge of this magnitude on college basketball’s biggest stage?

“Yes. We have so much growing to do, and we’ll be a much better product at the end of this season, but I like our guys right now,” he said. “I think they’re built to the right stuff. I think they’re going to come compete every night. I think they’re going to compete for each other and compete for BBN and they care. Like, our guys really care. They care about each other, they care about this fanbase, they care about the state and so we’re going to keep getting better and keep growing.

“This was the biggest game of our entire season tonight and now we get to move on to Tuesday, which is the biggest game of our entire season, and then we get to get to the next week, next Tuesday, which will be the biggest game our entire season. It’s fun. It’s a fun way to live and a fun way to play.”

Cats vs. Blue Devils. Atlanta. State Farm Arena. Tuesday. 9 PM ET. ESPN. Time to see what this group is made of.