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Kentucky vs. Duke, 74-63: Full highlights, final score and more

By Cody Williams

Nov 17, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Jamal Murray (23) dribbles the ball against the Duke Blue Devils during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 17, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Jamal Murray (23) dribbles the ball against the Duke Blue Devils during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kentucky stifled Duke’s stars to pick up a resounding early-season win

The No. 5-ranked Duke Blue Devils started out their gigantic matchup with the No. 2-ranked Kentucky Wildcats looking incredibly sloppy. Had it not been for Marshall Plumlee on the offensive boards, blocking five shots in the first half alone, and providing the Blue Devils with surprising offense right out of the gate, Duke could have found themselves at a sever deficit at the half as the team shot only 36.4 percent from the field in the first half with Grayson Allen going 0-9 from the floor and Brandon Ingram missing his only two shots. Meanwhile, Skal Labissiere and the Wildcats were getting dominated in terms of rebounding, subsequently making them unable to capitalize on big first-half performances from Tyler Ulis and Isaiah Briscoe who combined for 19 points in the first 20 minutes as Kentucky took a 37-31 lead into the half.

Kentucky’s defense stayed persistent coming out of the locker room for the second half as they quickly forced a still-struggling Allen into a couple of turnovers in addition to forcing more from players other than Allen to help extend their lead. After that flurry to start the second half, Allen, Ingram and the Duke offense came to life, but they weren’t able to do anything with the Wildcats on the defensive end of the floor. They weren’t forcing turnovers and, in turn, weren’t getting fast break opportunities to try and climb back in it. The Wildcats ultimately built their lead and, behind a big second half from Jamal Murray in terms of scoring, were able to hang onto it for the huge victory over the No. 5 team in the country.

Three stars

Tyler Ullis was the unquestioned leader for the Wildcats in the backcourt. The sophomore put up 18 points, six assists, four rebounds, two steals, and one block in the victory.

Marshall Plumlee seemed like the only Blue Devil who came out of the gate ready to play as he had arguably the best night of his Duke career, finishing with 12 points, 10 rebounds, one assist, and six blocks on the night.

Jamal Murray struggled to find the bottom of the net in the first half, but his second half helped carry Kentucky to the victory. The freshman finished with 16 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals.

Highlights

Odds

Kentucky came into this huge matchup as two-point favorites over Duke, which they covered in the emphatic win. However, a sloppy first half of basketball ultimately led to the two teams falling below the 156.5 over/under.

Next Game

Kentucky will be in Rupp Arena for their next game on Friday, Nov. 20 as they’ll welcome the Wright State Raiders to town.

Duke’s next matchup will be on Friday, Nov. 20 as well as they’ll be in Madison Square Garden taking on the Virginia Commonwealth Rams.