#10 Kentucky met #9 Duke for a matchup of blue bloods in Madison Square Garden!
The Kentucky vs Duke basketball game was a highly anticipated matchup to tipoff the 2021 college basketball season. In a battle of blue bloods, the teams met for one last regular season matchup with Duke’s Coach K at the helm. He announced his retirement at the end of the season. However, after watching the game, there’s a huge probability that we could see these teams face-off again during March Madness!
With 18,132 fans packed into Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY, these college basketball powerhouses kicked the season off and did not disappoint. The attendance included a host of former players, several of which play for the New York Knicks including Julius Randle, Immanuel Quickley, Nerlens Noel, and the elder brother of a current Wildcat, Obi Toppin.
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Both of these college basketball teams have developed a reputation for bringing in top-tier freshmen, however Kentucky had a huge night out of a transfer. West Virgina transfer, Oscar Tshiebwe, would set a record for most rebounds in a game as a Wildcat player making their debut. The company he overtook was Roger Newman in 1960, Cotton Nash in 1961, and the legend Sam Bowie in 1979! Moreover, he also broke the record for most rebounds in a Champions Classic game.
It was the most for a Kentucky player making his debut, breaking the previous record of 17 set by Roger Newman in 1960, Cotton Nash in 1961 and Sam Bowie in 1979. Tshiebwe also broke the Champions Classic record for rebounds in a game.
Game Final Score
The University of Kentucky vs Duke basketball final game score was 71-79. This was a chance for the Wildcats to knock-off Coach K one last time, however Duke’s offense gave them enough of a lead to hold off UK’s final run in the closing minutes.
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Recap
The Kentucky vs Duke basketball game was essentially a close game from start to finish. Kentucky started the game with Sahvir Wheeler, TyTy Washington Jr., Kellan Grady, Keion Brooks Jr. and Oscar Tshiebwe with the tipoff. Jacob Toppin was the next up off of the bench, checking in forKeion Brooks at the 16:05 mark.
Kentucky got into a little bit of foul trouble early in the game. Tshiebwe was the first to pick up his second with 7:49 until halftime, quickly followed by Toppin and Brooks. The frontcourt group of Kentucky was working hard, yet were certainly undersized in their matchups.
They will have to figure out the depth issues at this position, and find a way to keepTshiebwe on the floor in crucial moments. However, he did log 29 minutes of play in the game, which was third-most on the team.
Wheeler logged the most minutes of any player on the UK side, with 38 minutes of play. He was solid in the first half with 12 points, two 3-pointers, five assists, and a ton of hustle! You have to respect the effort on his behalf. On the downside, he logged 7 turnovers in the game. Nonetheless, it 35-39 at the half in the Kentucky vs Duke basketball game.
Duke had one big run in the second half and made it a double-digit lead, however Kentucky grinded back and closed the gap to 6 points with less than a minute to play to no avail.
Nonetheless, the Cats owned the boards, shoot good from behind the arc, and played tough defense. As a comparison between teams in the past, this Kentucky basketball team seems to be much faster out of the gate then prior teams. Moreover, they still have one key shooter sidelined who is attempting to get up to playing shape currently. Therefore, that should strengthen their deep, he is arguable the best or second-best 3-point shooter the Cats have!
Box Score
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Highlights Video:
Full Game Highlights
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