The first high-profile matchup of the Highlight Pope The era ended with euphoria for the Big Blue Nation.

There were several points Tuesday night in Atlanta when it felt like Kentucky was about to get blown out by the No. 6 Duke Blue Devils. But this scrappy group of Wildcats never wavered, battling for the full 40 minutes and ultimately driving Duke’s talented freshmen into the ground.

Thanks to a few clutch free throws Otega Oweh and lock down the defense in the trajectory of Duke’s projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, No. 19 Kentucky emerged with the 77-72 victory in the Champions Classic. UK led for just over seven minutes of play, but stepped up when the moment called for it. Both sides shot 40 percent from the field, but Kentucky’s 10-25 mark from deep (compared to 4-23 for Duke) made the difference.

Oweh was among the standouts for Kentucky, finishing with 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. His great play in the final minutes gave UK the match. Andreas Carr was perhaps the most important Wildcat with 17 points, five rebounds and three assists. Nine of his points came in the second half. Amari Williams rounded out Great Britain’s double-digit scorers with 10 points and eight rebounds.

Flagg, the very talented 17-year-old freshman, finished his night with 26 points and 12 rebounds, but he shot just 9-19 from the field and was hounded by Kentucky defenders throughout the second half.

Duke would strike the first punch and immediately take a 4-0 lead while Kentucky looked uneasy. Pope’s group of veterans would quickly settle in, however. A 5-5 start from beyond the arc for the Wildcats put them ahead by as much as six. Flagg made his presence felt early, scoring up to 12 points through the first 12 minutes of action. This was around the time Kentucky’s halfcourt offense began to stagnate, exacerbated by a rough opening half on both ends of the floor by the starting point guard. Lamont Butler.

After making its first five shots from deep, Kentucky missed its next eight. Duke was in the double bonus for about 11 minutes. A controversial lay-up by Kon Knüppel gave the Blue Devils a six-point lead. Shortly afterwards, with 6:40 left in the first half, Flagg was tagged with his second personal foul and went to the bench. Koby Brea would end Britain’s drought thanks to a three-pointer that made it 33-29 with less than five minutes until the break.

Duke would later lead by as many as 10 points before settling for the halftime score of 46-37. The Blue Devils recorded just one turnover in the first half, compared to seven for Great Britain. Carr, Oweh and Butler all had two errors, while Duke’s Flagg (2), Khaman Maluach (2), and Malik Brown (3) were also in big trouble. The Blue Devils had 26 points in the paint. Kentucky had only six. Jaxson Robinson had zero shot attempts for the ‘Cats.

Kentucky would come out of the locker room ready to fight, scoring the first five points of the second half. Duke continued to hold the Wildcats at bay despite injuries to Maluach and Zion James came at bad times. Butler, who played much better early in the half, completed an and-one that brought UK within three points after a media timeout with less than 12 minutes left.

That momentum was immediately halted with a 5-0 run by Duke. But like a seesaw we went back and forth. A pair of made layups for Kentucky brought the score to 61-57 in favor of the Blue Devils with 8:29 left in the game. Brandon Garrison was increased with successive buckets, bringing the British deficit within two points for the first time since there was 8:23 to go. first half.

Kentucky kept it close and refused to let Duke go on a big run. Entering the final media timeout, Carr converted an and-one that made the score 67-67. Carr would then find Oweh for a wide open backcut that put the Wildcats ahead. The Blue Devils would call a two timeout with 2:09 remaining.

The lead did not last long. From the break, Flagg converted on an and-one that gave Duke right-back the lead. But Carr came right back on the floor with the same result as Kentucky regained the lead again, 72-70. Flagg would tie the game with 1:14 remaining and had a chance to win the game on the final possession, but Oweh ripped the ball away, turned the floor and was fouled on a layup attempt.

He hit both freebies to give UK the lead. Flagg would turn the ball over on the other end in an attempt to save Duke. Kentucky made enough free throws to ice the win. The papal era could not have started better.