KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
STATE FARM ARENA | ATLANTA, GA
NOV. 12, 2024
ATTENDANCE: 16,107

Final Score: No. 19 Kentucky 77, No. 6 Duke 72

Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky improves to 3-0 on the young season while Duke falls to 2-1
• UK now leads the all-time series against the Blue Devils 13-11. It was the first win for the Cats against Duke since the Champions Classic matchup on Nov. 17, 2015, and snaps a two-game skid in the series
• Kentucky is now 6-8 in the Champions Classic and 2-3 against Duke in the event
• The Wildcats return to action Tuesday, Nov. 19 at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center against Lipscomb. The tip time is set for 7 p.m. on SEC Network+.

Team Notes

• Coach Mark Pope’s career record is now 190-108
• Pope is now 1-1 in his coaching career against Duke
• Kentucky trailed by nine at the half, but outscored the opposition 40-26 in the second half
• UK held Duke to 39 percent shooting from the field. They have held their opponent under 40 percent from the floor in all three games thus far this season
• The Kentucky bench scored 25 points, outscoring Duke’s reserves 25-6
• The game featured nine lead changes and seven ties
• Kentucky led for just 7:11 in the contest
• The Wildcats knocked down 10 threes on the night. They have reached double-digits in 3-pointers made in all three games this season
• UK was 17-of-24 from the charity stripe, the team’s most made free throws, and attempts, in a game this year
• The Wildcats blocked a season-high eight shots

Player Notes

• Andrew Carr was the leading scorer for Kentucky, finishing with a season-high 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting. He also pitched in five boards and three assists
• Otega Oweh added 15 points, six rebounds and three assists and two steals. He has had multiple thefts in all three games this season
• Amari Williams led the team in rebounds for the third-straight game with eight boards
• Lamont Butler finished with a team-high four helpers
• Koby Brea went 2-of-4 from beyond the arc, giving him 12 made threes on 16 attempts for the season (.750)
• Brandon Garrison scored a season-high eight points, all eight of which came in the second half

In the First Half

• Kentucky’s starters were Lamont Butler, Otega Oweh, Jaxson Robinson, Andrew Carr and Amari Williams.
  • First substitution was Brandon Garrison at 16:53
• Duke jumped out to a 4-0 lead
• Kentucky drew even at 6-6 on a 3-pointer from Carr
• UK took its first lead at 9-8 on a 3-pointer from Oweh
• Duke led 11-9 at the first media timeout
• The Wildcats had their largest lead of the first half at 19-13 following a free throw from Jaxson Robinson
• Duke proceeded to go on a 6-0 spurt to knot the game at 19
• The teams continued to go back-and-forth before Duke would take the lead at 25-24 with 8:23 left in the first half
• Kentucky started 5-of-5 from 3-point range, but missed its next eight attempts before Brea broke the streak with a triple at 4:58
• Kentucky trailed 46-37 at the half, its first halftime deficit this season
• Amari Williams and Andrew Carr led Kentucky in the opening half with eight points apiece. Duke’s Cooper Flag and Kon Knueppel each had 12
• The Blue Devils had just one turnover in the opening 20 minutes

In the Second Half

• Kentucky began the second half with the starting lineup
• Kentucky opened the second half with a 5-0 run via a 3-pointer from Oweh and a basket by Williams
• Duke continued to maintain the advantage, stretching the lead back to eight on a 3-ball from Flagg with 10:21 remaining on the clock
• Kentucky cut the lead to one on a 3-pointer from Kriisa with 5:28 to go
• Carr tied the game at 67 with an old-fashioned 3-point play with 3:57 to play
• A layup by Oweh gave Kentucky the lead at 69-67, the Cats first advantage since they led 24-23 in the first half
• Duke responded with an “and-one” from Flagg to retake the lead at 70-69
• Kentucky came right back with a basket and a foul from Carr to put UK ahead 72-70
• A layup from Flagg tied the score back up at 72 apiece with 1:14 remaining
• A steal from Oweh, and a foul on the ensuing fast break, earned the Kentucky guard two free throws, which he hit to make the score 74-72
• Duke turned it over out of bounds on its next possession, leaving 5.5 seconds on the clock
• A long inbounds pass to Butler forced Duke to foul. Butler made the first free throw. He missed the second, but the miss was corralled by Oweh, who was then fouled.
• Oweh made both free throws to seal the 77-72 win