The Kentucky basketball program is gearing up for one of its most challenging 2024-25 season matchups against the Duke Blue Devils. Mark Pope's squad will take on Cooper Flagg in what should be a highly competitive game on Tuesday. Before the contest, backup guard Kerr Kriisa got honest about facing Flagg amid his prospect hype.

Krissa revealed his thoughts in a media availability with reporters on Monday:

“It's going to be exciting. Probably more exciting for fans. You know, fans like the Duke-Kentucky matchup. But for us, it's another game. Obviously, the whole world is talking about Cooper Flagg. So, excited to play against the number one draft pick. So congrats to him already. Excited,” Krissa said, via KSR on X (formerly Twitter).

Flagg has led the Duke basketball squad to an early 2-0 record, averaging 15.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game. Kerr Kriisa and Kentucky respect Flagg, his talent, and the Blue Devils, but as the guard mentioned, the Wildcats will be ready to compete, just as they are for all of their other games.

The Kentucky basketball squad is coming off a commanding 100-77 Nov. 9 win over Bucknell. The Wildcats took many positives away from the matchup, but the one area they were outperformed in was three-point shooting. Bucknell's 36.4 deep-range accuracy slightly edged Kentucky's 36.1 mark.

The Wildcats will need supreme focus and execution to take down Duke. Kentucky's handful of strong contributors should make things competitive on Tuesday.

Senior guard Koby Brea leads the team in scoring at 19.0 points per game and is shooting a blistering 83.3 percent on his three-pointers early on in the season. He will be supported by Otega Oweh, Amari Williams, and Kerr Kriisa. Krissa leads the team in assists with a strong 8.5 per game.

Kentucky will be in a hostile environment on Tuesday. Can they lock in and steal a big win on the road?