Connect with us

Men's Basketball

Kentucky vs. Duke : TV/Streaming Info, Keys to the Game, and Betting Odds/Predictions

Published

on

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats take on the Duke Blue Devils in the Champion's Classic in Atlanta in a Top 25 matchup.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

The Kentucky Wildcats have finished the first week of the regular season 2-0. However, on Tuesday they will have their first big test of the season, traveling to Atlanta to take on the Duke Blue Devils in the Champion’s Classic.

Duke comes in with a roster reminiscent of past Kentucky teams, full of elite freshmen. Meanwhile, Kentucky comes in with the oldest team in program history. It will be a true battle between youth and experience.

The Wildcats are just 1-6 in their last seven Champions Classic games and just 1-5 against Duke over their last six meetings. Can the Wildcats change course? Let’s take a look at the matchup.

Advertisement

Rebounding Battle

Duke has the tallest team in the country, with an average height of 6’7.5”. That certainly helps them in their battle of the boards, where through two games they are averaging 45 rebounds and 14 offensive rebounds.

Meanwhile, Mark Pope has not been pleased with Kentucky’s effort on the boards to start the season. In their latest game against Bucknell, rebounding was a clear point of emphasis as the Cats grabbed 57 rebounds, including 22 offensive boards.

Kentucky doesn’t give up too much height, but they do give up some athleticism. With a lot of long rebounds from threes, all five Cats on the floor need to box out.

Turnover Battle

In addition to their height, Duke also has the length to be pests on defense. Combining for 18 steals on defense through two games, the Blue Devils are able to create offense.

Advertisement

After turning the ball over fifteen times against Bucknell, eight of which between Amari Williams and Andrew Carr, they’re are going to have to be aware of the pressure inside and keep the ball moving.

Conditioning

Mark Pope has talked about improving his team’s conditioning, wanting them to be in a shape reminiscent of Rick Pitino’s 90s teams, which Pope was a part of. They will be able to see where they stand physically, and potentially use it to their advantage.

Currently, Kentucky ranks 26th in adjusted tempo, while Duke ranks 181st. However, both team’s average possession lasts less than 15 seconds. This means a fast-paced game should be expected.

Duke star freshman Cooper Flagg has cramped in each of the Blue Devil’s first two games. If Kentucky can be successful in pushing the pace, it will give them a better chance at the win.

Advertisement

The Stage

This is Kentucky’s most experienced team in program history. However, on Tuesday, many of them will be playing on the biggest stage of their career.

We have seen Kentucky freshmen struggle in this event in the past. Now with a team of veterans, can they contribute when the lights shine the brightest?

Opposing Players to Watch

G/F Cooper Flagg 6-9, 205 lbs

  • 15.5 PPG
  • 9 RPG
  • 4 APG
  • 2.5 SPG

G/F Kon Knueppel 6-7, 217 lbs

  • 18.5 PPG
  • 3 RPG
  • 50% 3P

G Tyrese Proctor 6-6, 183 lbs

  • 12.0 PPG
  • 5 RPG
  • 1.5 APG
  • 50% 3P

Kentucky Basketball vs. Duke Blue Devils

  • Time: 9:00 PM ET on November 12th
    Location: State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia
    TV Channel: ESPN
    Announcers: Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, Jess Sims
    Online Stream: ESPN+, and the ESPN app.
    Radio: Tom Leach and Jack Givens have the radio call on the UK Sports Radio Network.
    Replay: WatchESPN and SEC Network (check local listings).
    Rosters: UK | DUKE
    Stats to Know: UK | DUKE
    KenPom: UK | DUKE
    Team Sheet: UK | DUKE

Be sure to send us your Kentucky-Duke score predictions down in the comments section!

Advertisement

Men's Basketball

History Made: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Crowned NBA Finals MVP

Published

on

Associated Press

For the first time ever, the Oklahoma City Thunder have reached the mountain top, beating the Indiana Pacers in a win or go home game seven, becoming NBA Champions.

Superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hoisted the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy and the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award in front of more than 18,000 fans in Oklahoma City after leading the Thunder with 30.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.8 blocks in the Finals.

The former Wildcat posted 29 points, 12 assists, and five rebounds in the series defining game where the Thunder won 103-91. Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA Finals in points.

Advertisement

Not only is Gilgeous-Alexander making NBA history for becoming only the 11th player to win league MVP, the NBA Finals and Finals MVP, but he joins an exclusive club of Hall of Famers, consisting of Willis Reed, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kareem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan and LeBron James. 

James was the last “triple-crown” winner in 2013 as a member of the Miami Heat.

Gilgeous-Alexander makes Kentucky history by becoming the first ever former Kentucky player to win Finals MVP. Last month, Gilgeous-Alexander made history by becoming the first Kentucky alum to earn league MVP.

This was an incredibly impressive feat considering Gilgeous-Alexander is one out of 137 ex-Kentucky players to play professional basketball, and now is the only one to claim those honors.

Advertisement

Another fellow Wildcat, Cason Wallace, joins Gilgeous-Alexander in a historic list of fellow Kentucky products to win the NBA Finals. The most recent players consist of Jamal Murray in 2023, Anthony Davis and Rajon Rondo in 2020, Jodie Meeks in 2019, and Rondo’s first ring in 2008, respectively.

Wallace averaged six points and 2.6 rebounds in the season-defining series.

This NBA Championship is technically the second in the organization’s history, with the first coming in 1979 as the Seattle SuperSonics defeated the Washington Bullets in five games. 

However, this marks the first time the franchise has boasted an NBA Championship as the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Advertisement

In 2008, the SuperSonics, with a rookie Kevin Durant, left Seattle and relocated to the midwest and rebranded as the Thunder. Five years later, the Thunder, led by future MVPs Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, would lose in five games to the Miami Heat.

It has truly been an unforgettable season for Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder. Oklahoma City accomplished the unthinkable, winning the most games in it history with an NBA-best 68-14 record.

The Thunder swept the Memphis Grizzlies in round one, beat the Denver Nuggets in a seven-game series and bested the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games to win the Western Conference Championship en route to their NBA Finals victory.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Men's Basketball

Kentucky Basketball’s Practice Facility Sees Major Makeover

The Joe Craft Center, after years of casual criticism from Wildcats fans, has finally been given an upgrade.

Published

on

UK Athletics

Maybe the weirdest qualm of many that plagued John Calipari’s tenure at Kentucky were the consistent complaints about the team’s practice facility, the Joe Craft Center.

From exaggerated rumors about leaks in the ceiling to general observations made about the court and facilities, fans, especially towards the end of that era, pointed to the Craft Center’s age as one of many signs of the times. Even in spite of occasional, supposed changes now and again.

In only his second year, Mark Pope has seemingly already addressed that complaint — at least to an extent.

Advertisement

The official Kentucky men’s basketball account recently posted a video across all social media platforms of the team during summer practice, featuring and obviously removed Craft Center court.

The court itself has been redone, in addition to the graphics and banners on the wall. Alongside the hanging threads celebrating the program’s eight national championships, a ninth one has been tacked onto the end.

It simply reads: “#9 – The Assignment.” If fans weren’t already excited enough for Coach Pope’s sophomore season, a ninth title banner being fixed in the renovation’s spotlight should send folks through the roof.

It may seem like a small thing, but given the program’s track record in the last few years, it’s the small things that feel the biggest. Mark Pope not only understands the assignment, but he’s making sure his team does, too.

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Men's Basketball

Jasper Johnson Makes Final U19 USA Roster Under Coach Mark Pope

Jasper Johnson has advanced in the U19 USA camp for the second time alongside the nation’s best recruits, and under Mark Pope’s wing.

Published

on

Jasper Johnson advances at U19 camp.
Instagram: @bruhjasperj (UK Athletics)

In a surprisingly relevant development smack dab in the middle of the offseason, Jasper Johnson has yet again advanced in the pool of players participating in the USA U19 camp.

The program, which could be a described as a sort of extension of the Team USA that just took home the gold in 2024, is comprised of some of the nation’s most anticipated talents set to take collegiate courts in the next couple of seasons.

Blue Gets In

Among them is Kentucky native and commit Johnson, and was also incoming Cat Malachi Moreno, before the latter was cut as a result of a mild injury he obtained throughout the camp’s course. Despite Moreno’s exit, his future teammate continues to impress.

Advertisement

Under the wing of Coach Mark Pope, who’s helmed the team in the camp up to this point, Johnson has now made the final cut after multiple roster slashes – he and only 11 other players remain in the minority that will go forward to actually compete for the team in the 2025 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup, which will take place June 28 through July 6 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The pre-competition camp serves not only as a trial of play before these athletes disperse to their own respective rosters this fall and next, but for Johnson, as a preview of what it’s like to play under Coach Pope. If his current success is any indicator, Kentucky fans may be in for something special when the pair tackle opposing teams together for the blue and white.

In similar noteworthy news, also attending the event are Taylen Kinney and Tyran Stokes, two Kentucky-born athletes with ties to Kentucky that the program is heavily recruiting. Jasper’s strong performance, combined with Coach Pope’s presence, can only help the Wildcats’ chances on that front, too.

To say the least, Mark Pope has found a way to facilitate Kentucky’s influence far beyond the boundaries of Lexington. He and Johnson, for the time being, will continue to press turn heads on the national stage, and it’s very likely that fans aren’t the only ones paying attention.

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Trending