Two of college basketball’s biggest ‘blue bloods’ squared off Tuesday night in one of the sport’s biggest early-season events and they didn’t disappoint.
In what was a back-and-forth second half, No. 18 Kentucky overcame a nine-point halftime deficit to pull off the 77-72 upset of No. 6 Duke in the nightcap of the Champions Classic for its first signature win of the Mark Pope era in Lexington.
Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg turned over the ball twice in the final three possessions for the Blue Devils. Despite those costly turnovers, the preseason Associated Press All-American had an all-around game for Duke as he finished with a game-high 26 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the field with 12 rebounds, two assists and two blocks.
The big storyline from Tuesday’s Champions Classic between Duke and Kentucky is the second-half turnaround from Pope’s squad, who picked it up on both ends of the floor in the final 20 minutes. In the second half alone, the Wildcats forced six turnovers and held the Blue Devils to 29.4% from the field. Duke shot 48.6% from the field in the first half with just one turnover.
Leading the way for the Wildcats was forward Andrew Carr, with 17 points. The Wake Forest transfer had some big shots down the stretch for Kentucky as he scored 10 of Kentucky’s final 15 points.
Duke will now return home for a one-game home stand before a challenging fourth-game stretch that consists of games vs. No. 1 Kansas, No. 4 Auburn and No. 8 Arizona. As for Kentucky, the Wildcats will next play next Tuesday, Nov. 19 against Lipscomb at Rupp Arena.
With that, follow along here for a recap of scores, updates, highlights and more from Duke vs. Kentucky basketball in the 2024 Champions Classic:
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(This section was updated with new information)
Final: Kentucky 77, Duke 72
Kentucky upsets Cooper Flagg, Duke
Kentucky secures its first signature win of the Mark Pope era as it overcomes a nine-point halftime deficit to upset No. 6 Duke 77-72 in the Champions Classic.
Kentucky extends its lead to three
Lamont Butler pushes Kentucky’s lead to 75-72 with one of two free throws. What a second-half turnaround by Mark Pope and Kentucky, who have outscored Duke 38-26 in the half alone.
Cooper Flagg turns over ball
Cooper Flagg turns over the ball in front of the Duke bench. He looked to have slipped before turning over the ball. Kentucky gets the ball back up 74-72 with 5.5 seconds remaining.
Duke turns over ball, Kentucky retakes lead
Cooper Flagg turns over the ball. Otega Oweh hits both free throws at the line to put Kentucky up 74-72 with 10.3 seconds left.
Duke calls timeout with 26.5 seconds left, tied 72-72
The Blue Devils call their last remaining timeout. Duke will inbound the ball with 26.5 seconds remaining tied 72-72 with Kentucky. Seven seconds separate the game clock and the shot clock.
Cooper Flagg ties it at 72-72
Flagg gets the layup to roll in to tie the game at 72-72.
Kentucky retakes two-point lead
Andrew Carr responds quickly to put Kentucky back up two at 72-70 with a layup and a free throw after drawing the foul on Duke’s Khaman Maluach. 1:41 remaining in the second half as a play goes to review.
Cooper Flagg up to 23, Duke retakes lead
Big time play from Cooper Flagg as he draws the and-one after hitting a tough jumper inside the paint. Flagg knocks down the free throw to put Duke back up 71-70.
Kentucky takes lead
Wildcats take their first lead since the first half on a wide-open basket under the rim from Otega Oweh. Duke calls a timeout as it now trails Kentucky 69-67 with 2:09 remaining. Things getting interesting in the nightcap of the Champions Classic.
Kentucky ties game with free throw
Andrew Carr hits the free throw coming out of the media timeout to tie the game at 67-67 with 3:57 remaining in the second half. Duke is 1 for its last 10 from the field.
Andrew Carr makes basket, draws the and-one
Kentucky will have the chance to tie the game at 67-67 coming out of the under-four media timeout as Andrew Carr drew the foul as he moved through the paint. Layup goes in from Carr just before the timeout to make it 67-66 Duke. Big free throw coming up.
Wildcats have turned it up offensively and defensively in the second half, as Duke hasn’t hit a field goal in nearly four minutes.
Kerr Kriisa hits tough 3-pointer
Kerr Kriisa makes it a 1-point game as he hits a tough, challenged 3-pointer bringing it to a 65-64 Duke lead. Wildcats on 11-4 run.
Kentucky makes it a two-point game, timeout on floor
Koby Brea finds Brandon Garrison open for the layup to make it a two-point game. Timeout on the floor as Duke now leads 63-61 with 6:31 to go.
Kentucky has out-scored Duke 24-17 to open up the second half. Duke is struggling to build continuous momentum here in the second half, as it is 1 for its last 7 from the field.
Cooper Flagg hits jumper, extends Duke lead to six
Cooper Flagg continues to do it all for Duke as he gives the Blue Devils their first points in two-and-a-half minutes with a jumper. He is up to 19 points.
Kentucky quick run makes it a four-point game
Duke calls a timeout on the floor after Brandon Garrison puts the missed shot back in for Kentucky to make it a four-point game at 61-57. Things are slowly heating up in Atlanta between these two college basketball blue-bloods.
Cooper Flagg hits 3-pointer
Cooper Flagg continues his all-around game with a big 3-pointer for Duke. It is the first 3-pointer of the second half for the Blue Devils, who now lead 61-53. He is now at 17 points.
Duke goes cold shooting, Kentucky heats up
Kentucky continuing to put pressure on Duke coming out of halftime. Lamont Butler moves through the lane to get the layup to roll in while drawing the foul, making it a four-point game going into the under-12 media timeout. Duke is currently on a scoring drought of over two minutes.
Blue Devils lead 56-52 despite missing their last six shots from the field.
Sion James down, injured
Duke guard Sion James is favoring his right arm and shoulder after going down following a collision with Kentucky’s Amari Williams on a screen. James is the second Blue Devil to leave in the last few minutes, with Khaman Maluach being the other.
Cooper Flagg up to 14 points
Nice spin move along the baseline leads to the easy bucket inside the paint for Cooper Flagg, who is now at 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field. Duke holds a nine-point lead at 54-45.
Duke’s defense comes up with stop
The Blue Devils’ defense continues to be all over the Wildcats’ offense as Kentucky turns over the ball for the eighth time tonight. Kentucky’s turnover sends the game into the under-16 media timeout with Duke holding a five-point lead at 50-45.
Kon Knueppel leads the game with 14 points and has made a few nice passes to start the second half. He remains on the court with two fouls.
Khaman Maluach with dunk
Cooper Flagg finds Khaman Maluach for the poster dunk to give Duke its first points of the second half. Blue Devils up 48-42.
Otega Oweh hits big 3 for Kentucky
Otega Oweh hits a much-needed 3-pointer for Kentucky as he cashes in the 3-pointer on the second chance opportunity. Duke now leads 46-40.
Khaman Maluach banged up, gets up
Duke big man Khaman Maluach looked to have rolled his right knee after a collision with a Kentucky player inside the paint. He stays down for a second before getting back up.
Halftime: Duke 46, Kentucky 37
Duke takes a 46-37 lead into the locker room at halftime thanks to a strong final nine minutes. Blue Devils controlled the pace for most of the half. Impressively, Duke only turned over the ball once in the first half and out-scored Kentucky 28-6 inside the paint.
Blue Devils star freshman duo Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg lead the game with 12 points each at halftime.
Some halftime stats:
Field goal percentage: Duke 48.6%, Kentucky 36.7%
3-point percentage: Kentucky 43.8%, Duke 25%
Turnovers: Kentucky 7, Duke 1
Rebounds: Duke 21, Kentucky 20
Bench points: Kentucky 9, Duke 2
Points in the paint: Duke 28, Kentucky 6
Assists: Kentucky 8, Duke 7
Kentucky cold shooting continues
Amari Williams can’t get the jumper in the paint to roll in. Kentucky has not hit a field goal in the last 3:22. Duke leading 46-37 with 5.2 seconds remaining in the first half.
Khaman Maluach puts together 4-point play
Duke jumps out to its biggest lead of the night at 10 points. Khaman Maluach makes back-to-back baskets: a dunk off the pass from Kon Knueppel and a putback off the offensive rebound.
Tyrese Proctor hits stepback 3-pointer
Duke’s finding its groove late in the first half as Tyrese Proctor knocks down an open 3-pointer to push the lead to 36-29. Mark Pope calls a timeout as Kentucky is 2 of its last 11 from the field.
Otega Oweh ends Kentucky shooting drought
Wildcats big man Otega Oweh ends a Duke 9-0 run with a put-back inside the paint. Kentucky out-rebounding Duke 17-15 early in this one.
Duke run puts Blue Devils up four
Defense leading into offense for Duke as Kon Knueppel steals the ball at half court and hands it off to Cooper Flagg for the easy bucket. Flagg’s basket extends Duke’s run to 7-0 and forces Mark Pope to call a timeout with the Blue Devils now up 28-24.
Cooper Flagg in double digits
Cooper Flagg hits both free throws to put him at 10 points in the first half. Blue Devils trail the Wildcats 24-23 with 8:47 remaining.
Duke in bonus
The Blue Devils will shoot free throws from here on out in the first half as Kentucky’s Andrew Carr is called for his second foul. Kon Knueppel can’t hit the free throw, keeping Duke’s deficit at three against Kentucky at 24-21.
Amari Williams with tough basket, completes 3-point play
Physical play by Kentucky big man Amari Williams as he hits the jumper while drawing the foul. The Drexel transfer completes the 3-point play to push Kentucky’s lead back up to three at 24-21.
Amari Williams responds back with jumper
Amari Williams responds quickly for Kentucky with a jumper going into the under-12 media timeout. Wildcats up early 21-19 in this Champions Classic showdown.
Sion James slams one home to tie the game at 19-19
Sion James ties the game at 19-19 with a dunk in transition. Nice play by the Blue Devils that started with Caleb Foster grabbing the defensive rebound and finding James in transition.
Kentucky hot from 3 to open up
Back-to-back 3s from Kerr Kriisa and Ansley Almonor push the Kentucky lead to 6-0 over the last 54 seconds. Wildcats are 5 of 5 from deep to open the game vs. Duke.
Cooper Flagg hits pull-up jumper
Duke star freshman guard Cooper Flagg takes advantage of the open space and hits the pull-up jumper to put the Blue Devils back up 13-12.
Duke leading Kentucky at first media timeout
At the under-16 media timeout, Duke holds a slight lead over Kentucky at 11-9. Tyrese Proctor leads the Blue Devils with seven points on a perfect 3 of 3 shooting from the field.
Duke-Kentucky settling in
The Blue Devils and Wildcats are tied 6-6 with 16:53 remaining in the first half as both teams trade early baskets and get their offenses going.
Pregame
Kentucky fans dress up as The Pope
First sighting of the night of a member of Big Blue Nation dressing up like The Pope with a Mark Pope Kentucky uniform.
Duke Champions Classic record
Duke enters Tuesday’s Champions Classic with an 8-5 overall record and a 3-1 series record vs Kentucky in the annual college basketball event. The Blue Devils’ 8-5 overall record is tied with Kansas for the best record among the Blue Devils, Jayhawks, Spartans and Wildcats.
Kentucky Champions Classic record
Kentucky enters Tuesday’s Champions Classic with a 5-8 overall record and a 1-3 series record vs Duke in the annual college basketball event. The Wildcats are on a two-game losing streak vs the Blue Devils in the Champions Classic.
Here’s a look at past results between Kentucky and Duke in the Champions Classic:
2012: Duke 75, Kentucky
2015: Kentucky 74, Duke 63
2018: Duke 118, Kentucky 84
2021: Duke 79, Kentucky
Kentucky basketball arrives at Champions Classic
The Wildcats are on-site for Tuesday’s Champions Classic matchup with No. 6 Duke. Kentucky, which will rock its home white uniform on Tuesday, is 1-3 against Duke in the Champions Classic.
Duke basketball uniform vs Kentucky
The Blue Devils will rock with their alternate black uniforms vs. Kentucky in Tuesday’s Champions Classic.
Cooper Flagg stats
Through two games at Duke, Flagg is shooting 44% from the field (25.0% from 3) and averaging 15.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.
Here’s a game-by-game look at Flagg’s stats at Duke:
vs. Maine: 6 of 15 shooting (40%) from the field for 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals
vs. Army: 5 of 10 shooting (50%) from the field for 13 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals
Kon Knueppel stats
Through two games at Duke, Knueppel is shooting 56.5% from the field (50.0% from 3) and averaging 18.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.
Here’s a game-by-game look at Knueppel’s stats at Duke:
vs. Maine: 8 of 14 shooting (57.1%) from the field for 22 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal
vs. Army: 5 of 9 shooting (55.6%) from the field for 15 points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal
Who is Kentucky basketball’s coach? Mark Pope in first season
Former Kentucky center Mark Pope is in his first season leading the Wildcats program. The captain of the Wildcats’ 1996 national championship title was hired as Kentucky’s coach in April following John Calipari’s departure for Arkansas. Pope previously coached at BYU, where he posted a 110-52 overall record in five seasons.
Champions Classic extended
Prior to the 2024 Champions Classic, ESPN PR announced on X (formerly Twitter) that the annual four-team event between Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan State has been extended through the 2028-29 college basketball season.
Next year’s Champions Classic will take place on Nov. 18, 2025 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
What channel is Duke vs Kentucky on today?
TV channel: ESPN
Livestream: Watch ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)
Duke’s game against Kentucky will air on ESPN, with Dan Shulman (play-by-play) and Jay Bilas (analyst) on the call, while Jess Sims serves as the floor reporter. Streaming options include watch ESPN and Fubo, which offers a free trial.
Watch Duke vs Kentucky in the Champions Classic with Fubo (free trial)
Duke vs Kentucky time today
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 12
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: State Farm Arena (Atlanta)
Duke vs. Kentucky in the Champions Classic is scheduled to tip off at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 12 from State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
Duke vs Kentucky history
Series record: Duke leads 9-5
Duke’s last win: 2021 (Duke 79, Kentucky 71)
Kentucky’s last win: 2015 (Kentucky 74, Duke 63)
Duke vs Kentucky predictions
‘The Wildcats have more experience, but the Blue Devils have more big-game experience with Caleb Foster and Tyrese Proctor. Kentucky’s offense is a ton of fun that should be a joy to watch throughout the season. But behind another efficient scoring effort from Kon Knueppel, and the defensive prowess of Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach, Duke will get more stops down the stretch to disappoint Big Blue Nation in SEC country.’
Duke vs Kentucky betting odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Monday, Nov. 11
Moneyline: Duke -250 | Kentucky +195
Spread: Duke (-6.5)
Over/under: 159.5 points
Duke basketball schedule 2024-25
All times ET
Monday, Nov. 4: vs. Maine (W, 96-42)
Friday, Nov. 8: vs. Army (W, 100-58)
Tuesday, Nov. 12: vs. Kentucky, Champions Classic, 9 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 16: vs. Wofford, Noon
Friday, Nov. 22: at Arizona, 10:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 26: vs. Kansas, Vegas Showdown, 9 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 29: vs. Seattle, Vegas Showdown, 7 p.m.
Kentucky basketball schedule 2024-25
Monday, Nov. 4: vs. Wright State (W, 103-62)
Saturday, Nov. 9: Bucknell (W, 100-72)
Tuesday, Nov. 12: vs. Duke, Champions Classic, 9 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 19: vs. Lipscomb, 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 22: vs. Jackson State, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 26: vs. Western Kentucky, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 29: vs. Georgia State, 7 p.m.
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