Vicky Graff Photo
A new era has begun at the University of Kentucky as Mark Pope’s No. 19 Wildcats put the stamp on a 77-72 victory over the No. 6 Duke Blue Devils during Tuesday night’s State Farm Classic in Atlanta.
It was Kentucky’s first win over Duke since 2015, which many UK fans would tell you was long overdue.
Kentucky didn’t even appear to play exceptionally well Tuesday night, yet went toe-to-toe against one of the more talented teams in the country with one of the best NBA prospects – Cooper Flagg – in recent memory.
The Wildcats stayed within striking distance the entire evening and when it got to crunch time, they delivered on both ends of the court.
Kentucky made timely threes, hit all of their free throws, and held Duke to just five points while also forcing several turnovers in the final four minutes.
It was the signature win Kentucky fans had looked forward to with their new head coach but a pleasant surprise that it came just three games into Pope’s first season.
Kentucky basketball flipped the page earlier this spring, moving on from now-former head coach John Calipari and bringing Pope to lead the program.
Despite Calipari’s coaching woes over the last few years, it was a gutsy move.
Pope has zero head coaching experience in the NCAA Tournament and has never coached a program with expectations remotely close to Kentucky.
However, as a former player, captain & national champion at UK, Pope understands the fan base and what the program means to college basketball – which is why he is the perfect man for the job.
When he was hired in mid-April, Pope took a job that came with zero players on the roster for him to inherit. He had to act quickly to not only build a coaching staff that could recruit players but also move quickly to land players in the transfer portal.
Pope and his staff went after veteran players with NCAA tournament experience, the ability to play at both ends of the court, and didn’t have a huge ego.
They built a team that could shoot the ball at a high percentage from beyond the arc but also battle inside the paint when needed – which is what Kentucky fans saw Tuesday night against Duke.
One win (even over Duke of all teams) three games in won’t define a season, but it is certainly the start of what is primed to be a stellar career for Pope at Kentucky.
Kentucky-Duke Champions Classic
Photos by Vicky Graff
6 Responses
Great to see adjustments and players that understand the adjustments. No screaming from the sidelines.
Just a beautiful win. Happy for Pope and the players.
Ditto, OldFan!
You nailed it Old Fan.
Wow!!….a true Signature win on first opportunity on big stage. Who saw that coming at halftime? I am not sure Cal could have made those halftime adjustments. We had NO interior defense and NO interior offense for most of the game and still found a way. I was very happy to see the Dog come out in Carr end of game as he hadn’t shown much of that first two. We had no answer for Flagg but still found a way. We had a great first 9 minutes and then Puke took control, and at that time it looked like they had the "best of everything" on the floor. Then the Cats took over and owned the 4th quarter. I might have to get a Pope hat on order..What a game!!
I don’t know what the future holds, but last night, this UK team planted its flag in the national championship base camp. Everything now is to be as prepared as possible to ascend the NCAA mountain in March.
It will be a challenging yet fun climb to watch. Our next real test will come against Clemson and Gonzaga. The Zags are the real deal. Those games should be a pretty good barometer of where this team is going. Buckle your seat belts BBN. This ride has left the station and you just experienced the first thrill. There are more to come.