One of the biggest matchups of the non-conference slate in college basketball lived up to the hype on Tuesday night. Kentucky took down Duke 77-72 at the State Farm Champions Classic in Atlanta, pulling off the upset to get to 3-0 in Mark Pope's first season as head coach.
Kentucky trailed by nine points at halftime and was still losing for most of the second half before making a late push to tie the game at 72. With the game tied and a chance to take the lead, Duke freshman star Cooper Flagg was stripped by Kentucky guard Otega Oweh, who was fouled in transition.
After Oweh drained two free throws, Flagg got the ball again with a chance to tie things up or take the lead with a 3-pointer. However, Flagg lost the ball and went out of bounds, allowing the Wildcats to put Duke away with free throws.
After the loss, Duke fans were stunned that Flagg came up short in the final minute.
“2 turnovers and couldn’t get the board at end. Choke job. Overrated,” one fan posted on X, formerly Twitter. Another added, “Those turnovers killed Duke. Flagg played great all game but man those last few mins were rough. still a freshman tho, gonna learn from this.”
Some fans thought Duke head coach Jon Scheyer was to blame for not putting Flagg in a better position to score.
“Scheyer had nothing else for him? Just give it to him at the top and hope for the best?” the fan wrote.
Overall, Flagg still had a very impressive night for Duke. He finished this game with 26 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks, showcasing the ability to be dominant on the defensive glass and score down low. Flagg didn't have a great night shooting from the perimeter, making just 1-of-5 threes, but he has also flashed that ability early in his college career.
This loss shouldn't be super alarming for this Duke basketball team due to the shooting numbers. The Blue Devils shot just 4-for-23 from 3-point range in this one despite having plenty of open looks. If a few more of those drop, from Flagg or anyone else, we're probably having a whole different conversation about this titanic battle.
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