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At Tuesday night’s Champions Classic in Atlanta’s State Farm Arena, Jon Scheyer’s third Duke basketball squad only managed 26 points in the second half, despite taking a 46-37 lead at halftime against the No. 19-ranked Kentucky Wildcats (3-0, 0-0 SEC). The Wildcats, coached by Mark Pope, defeated the No. 6 Blue Devils (2-1, 0-0 ACC) by scoring 40 points in the last 20 minutes to win, 77-72. In the last minutes of the game, Kentucky appears revved up. Duke seemed to be gassed.

Cooper Flagg, a 17-year-old sensation, was the Blue Devils’ go-to freshman guard/forward in the final minutes. He had 26 points, 12 boards, 2 assists, and 2 blocks, but he also turned the ball over on Duke’s final two possessions. At the same time, his teammates scored a total of 12 points in the second half, with none of those coming after 6:30.

In his opening statement to the media, 37-year-old Scheyer explained why he has never been more encouraged by his 2024-25 Duke basketball team, despite the weaknesses that were exposed against Kentucky after the Blue Devils had dominated four opponents between exhibition play and their 2-0 start to the regular season:

Listen, you’re watching a major college basketball game. Very pleased with our squad. In my opinion, we battled hard from the start and had a fantastic first half.

One thing to keep in mind is that Kentucky deserves praise for the plays they’ve executed. In my opinion, they displayed remarkable maturity. Furthermore, their expertise shone through during the second half. Sure thing.

As a team, we’re disappointed because our players gave it their all for 27 minutes, and you’re winning the whole time. Also, they were quite active. I am incredibly proud of [Cooper Flagg] for all that he accomplishes, competes, and shows up for at the age of 17. I am so proud of him for coaching this guy, dude.

We have a lengthy season ahead of us. You learn a lot about the character and heart of your team in a game like this, and this squad has a lot of heart, so even though we lost tonight, I’m still optimistic.

“Khaman [Maluach] isn’t here as much as he should be. In the second half, Khaman began to experience cramps, and we were already up by nine goals. So that’s a major setback for our team. Son [James] as well. It was a major sequence for us when Sion got hurt and they scored a three. It was a real bummer, you know.

They came at us and kept coming at us, shooting, but we were prepared. All we did was respond. And in the end, it was down to the final play. Also, be sure to give them the credit they deserve.

We, on the other hand, will develop and gain wisdom from this experience. Trust me when I say that. However, there are a lot of men in the locker room that are unhappy and devastated.