Cooper Flagg talks Duke basketball, joining Jon Scheyer and Blue Devils
Duke freshman Cooper Flagg had his first press conference with the Blue Devils during the program’s annual media day at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball team plays the Kentucky Wildcats on Tuesday (9 p.m., ESPN) as part of the Champions Classic at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
The sixth-ranked Blue Devils (2-0) and 19th-ranked Wildcats (2-0) will meet for the first time since 2021 after No. 1 Kansas (2-0) and Michigan State (2-0) tip things off at 6:30 p.m. in Georgia.
Two of college basketball’s blue bloods, Duke and Kentucky have combined for more than 4,700 wins, with 34 Final Four appearances and 13 NCAA championships.
Duke vs Kentucky preview, prediction
Overall, the Wildcats have a 12-11 edge in the all-time series, but Duke has won nine of the last 11 meetings. Tuesday’s showdown will be the first that doesn’t feature Mike Krzyzewski or John Calipari on one of the sidelines since March 13, 1980 — five days later, Coach K was introduced as Duke’s head coach.
Third-year coach Jon Scheyer will be coaching against UK for the first time, and Mark Pope is in his debut season as head coach of the Wildcats. Scheyer and Pope won national championships as players, contributing to the storied history of their programs.
Freshmen standouts Kon Knueppel (18.5 points per game, 3 rebounds per game, 2 assists per game) and Cooper Flagg (15.5 ppg, 9.0 reb, 4.0 ast, 2.5 stls, 1.5 blks) are two of five Blue Devils averaging double-digit points. Fellow freshman Khaman Maluach leads Duke with an average of 10 rebounds through two games.
Kentucky’s top eight contributors are players added via the transfer portal, including Drexel transfer Amari Williams (12.5 ppg, 13.5 reb) and Dayton transfer Koby Brea (19 PPG, 4 reb). The Wildcats have seven players averaging double figures.
Here’s everything you need to know about Duke vs. Kentucky, including time, TV and streaming info and more.
Live scoreboard for Duke vs Kentucky:
TV Channel: ESPN
Livestream: Fubo (free trial), ESPN+
Watch Duke vs Kentucky on Fubo
Duke vs. Kentucky will be broadcast on ESPN. Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas and Jess Sims will be on the television call for ESPN. Streaming options for the game include FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers. David Shumate and John Roth will have the radio call on the Blue Devil Sports Network.
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 12
Start time: 9 p.m.
The Duke vs. Kentucky game starts at 9 p.m. from State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
Duke 82, Kentucky 74: The Wildcats have more experience, but the Blue Devils have more big-game experience with Caleb Foster, Tyrese Proctor and Mason Gillis. Kentucky’s offense is a ton of fun that should be a joy to watch throughout the season. But behind another efficient scoring effort from Kon Knueppel, and the defensive prowess of Cooper Flagg and Khaman Maluach, Duke will get more stops down the stretch to disappoint Big Blue Nation in SEC country.
Game lines and odds from BetMGM will be posted as they become available.
Spread: Duke is a 6-point favorite
Over/under: 160.5 points
Moneyline: Duke (-265), Kentucky (+215)
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
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