Kentucky rallies past Duke despite Cooper Flagg's 26 points: How the Wildcats did it

Date:

Share post:


ATLANTA — Kentucky has a coach with a clipboard who knows how to use it. New Wildcats head man Mark Pope made all the right decisions down the stretch of a 77-72 win over No. 6 Duke that will have Big Blue Nation falling even further in love with him.

Late in a back-and-forth nightcap to the Champions Classic, Pope out-schemed his counterpart Jon Scheyer, who was a little too reliant on five-star freshman Cooper Flagg, who had flashes of brilliance in a 26-point performance but committed two turnovers on isolation plays in the final minute that helped Kentucky complete their comeback. The Wildcats trailed by nine at the half and with less than three minutes to play took their first lead since the score was in the 20s.

Pope, meanwhile, went to a small-ball lineup for the first time, using forward Andrew Carr to take advantage of Duke’s centers in the middle of the floor. Carr, who spent the last two seasons at Wake Forest, finished with 17 points, five rebounds and three assists, calmly making smart play after smart play in the clutch.

Kentucky’s five-out offense generated good looks for much of the night, executing a clear gameplan to try to take advantage of Duke’s 7-foot-2 freshman center Khaman Maluach. Kentucky center Amari Williams usually got to where he wanted to go but struggled to finish at the basket and shot just 3 of 12 from the field. Pope’s decision to move Carr to center may have won him the game and provided an early sign that Kentucky ended its eventful search to replace John Calipari with a smart coach who knows how to put his best players in spots to be successful.

This story will be updated.

(Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)



Source link

Alexandra Williams
Alexandra Williams
Alexandra Williams is a writer and editor. Angeles. She writes about politics, art, and culture for LinkDaddy News.

Recent posts

Related articles

NFL Week 11 fantasy football, betting cheat sheet: Prepare for fireworks between Eagles, Commanders

Welcome to the Week 11 NFL fantasy and betting cheat sheet, a one-stop-shop for The Athletic’s game...

Roki Sasaki season is here, plus Scott Boras' big test

The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic’s daily MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive...

About Victor Wembanyama's speedy 50 burger. Plus, the Cavaliers remain perfect!

The Bounce Newsletter  | This is The Athletic’s daily NBA newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Bounce directly in...

Canucks notebook: Is Marcus Pettersson a trade fit? Is Nils Höglander in the doghouse?

The Vancouver Canucks bounced back impressively against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night and will look to...

Harry Kane's criticism of England pullouts does not take into account player workloads or priorities

Harry Kane has been, from the earliest days of his top-level career, pretty skilled at talking a...

Football, fatherhood and new opportunities: Get to know new Bears OC Thomas Brown

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Thomas Brown was out on the road on a recruiting trip with Georgia...

DeAndre Hopkins already a difference-maker for the Chiefs and GM Brett Veach

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Looking back just three weeks later, the Chiefs’ first practice with receiver DeAndre...

As Colts turn back to Anthony Richardson, young QB must remember 'superpowers' aren't enough

Anthony Richardson was looking for something.Minutes after Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen announced that Joe Flacco...