UK vs duke

WeWant9_rivals

Heisman
Dec 18, 2013
6,758
17,852
113
Now that the roster is mostly set, lets talk some game action. First big one is Champions Classic vs duke. I haven’t kept up with duke’s roster much, for those in the know- how do you see the two teams matching up? I know Flagg has gotten a lot of hype, how will he handle going against a team of mostly college vets? We’ve seen it go either way as UK fans.

It’ll be Pope’s first big game as the UK coach, and I think he’ll have the team dialed in for it.
 

LineSkiCat14

Heisman
Aug 5, 2015
38,368
60,033
113
Theres always a worry thay Flagg is the real deal and torches us the way a guy like Wall or AD could do to other teams.. but its also likely hes still figuring the game out this early.

But as for the rest of their team.. its going to be young and inexperienced. Kentucky wont have many reps together, but its going to be a lot of 3, 4 and 5th year guys. I think we win.

I also dont think scheyer is anything great and id be surprised if he has this Duke team ready to compete so early. Remember, this is a very young team even for him, and he no longer has any real carryover from the the Coach K era. I see this going the way it did for Tubby and Ollie.. early success because everything was set up for them, and the longer their predecessor was removed from the program, the worse it got.
 

Anon1636470744

All-Conference
Jun 26, 2010
2,479
1,474
113
Theres always a worry thay Flagg is the real deal and torches us the way a guy like Wall or AD could do to other teams.. but its also likely hes still figuring the game out this early.

But as for the rest of their team.. its going to be young and inexperienced. Kentucky wont have many reps together, but its going to be a lot of 3, 4 and 5th year guys. I think we win.

I also dont think scheyer is anything great and id be surprised if he has this Duke team ready to compete so early. Remember, this is a very young team even for him, and he no longer has any real carryover from the the Coach K era. I see this going the way it did for Tubby and Ollie.. early success because everything was set up for them, and the longer their predecessor was removed from the program, the worse it got.
Flagg isn't Wall or Davis level.
 

LineSkiCat14

Heisman
Aug 5, 2015
38,368
60,033
113
Flagg isn't Wall or Davis level.

Oh IDK.. I think he could be. There are some questions about his competition.. but hes one of the highest rated prospects in years. Hes a 6'9 point forward. Now he still haa to prove it.. but therers a very good chance he turns out to be one of the best freshman these last 10-15 years.

Thankfully, we likely wont see him near his full potential come that Duke game.
 

Wunky

Heisman
Jan 16, 2021
4,273
17,744
78
Flagg is good. But I can tell you one thing for sure about a Pope-coached UK team playing Duke: they will take the matchup of schools personally, and they will take the individual matchup with Flagg personally as well, being veterans. There is no question who has the more veteran team. I just hope the game is called consistently.
 

bucsrule8872

Heisman
May 30, 2005
24,397
29,352
0
The Flagg matchup concerns me a little on paper.

He probably plays the 4 spot for them and that is easily our weakest position defensively assuming Carr is the starter there.

And if they put him at the 3, then we don’t have anyone with the size there to match up with a 6’9 guy.

Flagg is definitely a matchup nightmare.

Luckily, on the flip side, I don’t see him having much success defensively against any of our guys.

Carr should be able to post him up and if they put him at the 3, good luck chasing Robinson, Brea, or Oweh.
 

LineSkiCat14

Heisman
Aug 5, 2015
38,368
60,033
113
The Flagg matchup concerns me a little on paper.

He probably plays the 4 spot for them and that is easily our weakest position defensively assuming Carr is the starter there.

And if they put him at the 3, then we don’t have anyone with the size there to match up with a 6’9 guy.

Flagg is definitely a matchup nightmare.

Luckily, on the flip side, I don’t see him having much success defensively against any of our guys.

Carr should be able to post him up and if they put him at the 3, good luck chasing Robinson, Brea, or Oweh.

This is really going to be THE deciding factor. Because i cant see a guy like Pope not having his team ready, where as i just dont see an underwhelming bench coach like Scheyer getting these freshman ready to play a grown-man UK team.. so its going to come down to whether Flagg can take the game over for them.

The good thing here is that Flagg will be new to this team as well, and will Duke put the ball in his hands? OR will Duke try and get a traditional guard tk take care of the offense, like a Proctor, therefore taking Flagg out of his normal point-forward role.

It will be tough, and we have to have some of our guys ready to ball.. but if they are, Duke is going to need some sort of 30pt/12r/8a performance from a guy like Flagg (or maybe someone else).
 
May 22, 2024
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Theres always a worry thay Flagg is the real deal and torches us the way a guy like Wall or AD could do to other teams.. but its also likely hes still figuring the game out this early.

But as for the rest of their team.. its going to be young and inexperienced. Kentucky wont have many reps together, but its going to be a lot of 3, 4 and 5th year guys. I think we win.

I also dont think scheyer is anything great and id be surprised if he has this Duke team ready to compete so early. Remember, this is a very young team even for him, and he no longer has any real carryover from the the Coach K era. I see this going the way it did for Tubby and Ollie.. early success because everything was set up for them, and the longer their predecessor was removed from the program, the worse it got.
Flagg is 1000% the real deal.
 

LineSkiCat14

Heisman
Aug 5, 2015
38,368
60,033
113
Flagg is 1000% the real deal.

Well thats not true either. He very likely is. But we dont know that. And we also dont know what Duke will get out of him in his one yeat there.

You know who Duke fans told us was the real deal a year ago? Tyrese Proctor. He was going to be a top2 draft pick to one Duke fan. Fast forward a year and hes not even getting drafted. Had to come back.
 
Oct 30, 2023
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Theres always a worry thay Flagg is the real deal and torches us the way a guy like Wall or AD could do to other teams.. but its also likely hes still figuring the game out this early.

But as for the rest of their team.. its going to be young and inexperienced. Kentucky wont have many reps together, but its going to be a lot of 3, 4 and 5th year guys. I think we win.

I also dont think scheyer is anything great and id be surprised if he has this Duke team ready to compete so early. Remember, this is a very young team even for him, and he no longer has any real carryover from the the Coach K era. I see this going the way it did for Tubby and Ollie.. early success because everything was set up for them, and the longer their predecessor was removed from the program, the worse it got.
Their starting 7 will be one of the oldest in the country. Not sure where your misinformation comes from. Some of yall really don’t follow any other teams outside Kentucky do ya?
 

LineSkiCat14

Heisman
Aug 5, 2015
38,368
60,033
113
Their starting 7 will be one of the oldest in the country. Not sure where your misinformation comes from. Some of yall really don’t follow any other teams outside Kentucky do ya?

You think 5 top20 recruits arent going to get roughly 120 of the minutes, followed by Proctor, a junior, getting another 30?

What other upper classmen are getting minutes?
 
Oct 30, 2023
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You think 5 top20 recruits arent going to get roughly 120 of the minutes, followed by Proctor, a junior, getting another 30?

What other upper classmen are getting minutes
Brown (rising junior) was all-ACC at Syracuse last year and he will start. So will 5th year senior Sion James. 6th year senior Mason Gillis first off the bench. Plus sophomore Foster and Junior Proctor.
 

LineSkiCat14

Heisman
Aug 5, 2015
38,368
60,033
113
Brown (rising junior) was all-ACC at Syracuse last year and he will start. So will 5th year senior Sion James. 6th year senior Mason Gillis first off the bench. Plus sophomore Foster and Junior Proctor.

Those guys arent getting 30mpg lol. They were fill ins for a roster last year that all but bolted. Duke NEEDED 7th 8th and 9th man types, to play behind freshman, who wpuld go somewhere else if they were only getting 10 to 15mpg

Or.. fine, dont play potentially game-changing freshman. Thats Dukes only chance here.
 

Trollsensor

Sophomore
May 6, 2024
92
116
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Duke has amassed a ton of talent. I think Proctor will be a guy we have to shut down. I'm hoping our grown men can be the difference in that game.
 
Jan 30, 2018
16,155
24,635
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F Dook!!! I say we take them out.

The Hulk GIF
 

LineSkiCat14

Heisman
Aug 5, 2015
38,368
60,033
113
Duke has amassed a ton of talent. I think Proctor will be a guy we have to shut down. I'm hoping our grown men can be the difference in that game.

Hea probably the one im least worried about. He was supposed to be the next lottery pick, a lengthy combo guard primed for NBA stardom.

He virtually made no improvements last year, aside from some better shot selection and efficiency (yet his FT also dropped to 75%). Duke fans tried to trick the sport last year with Proctor.. not happening a 2nd time.
 
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catsfanbgky

All-American
Oct 18, 2006
18,901
7,622
0
Will only have 3 upper classmen, Proctor will be a returning JR., Maliq Brown transfer from Syracuse 9.5 ppg / 7.2 reb., and Mason Gillis, transfer from Purdue, 6.5 ppg / 4 reb. Also added Sion James from Tulane, 14 ppg. / 5.4 reb.
 

Trollsensor

Sophomore
May 6, 2024
92
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Hea probably the one im least worried about. He was supposed to be the next lottery pick, a lengthy combo guard primed for NBA stardom.

He virtually made no improvements last year, aside from some better shot selection and efficiency (yet his FT also dropped to 75%). Duke fans tried to trick the sport last year with Proctor.. not happening a 2nd time.
I didn't watch them a lot last season, so you may be correct. When I did watch them, Proctor was their most reliable scorer.
 
Oct 30, 2023
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Hea probably the one im least worried about. He was supposed to be the next lottery pick, a lengthy combo guard primed for NBA stardom.

He virtually made no improvements last year, aside from some better shot selection and efficiency (yet his FT also dropped to 75%). Duke fans tried to trick the sport last year with Proctor.. not happening a 2nd time.
Proctor was also hurt from early December on with a bum ankle that caused him to miss 4 weeks. We will see what a healthy version looks like
 

LineSkiCat14

Heisman
Aug 5, 2015
38,368
60,033
113
Proctor was also hurt from early December on with a bum ankle that caused him to miss 4 weeks. We will see what a healthy version looks like

Meh. If the NBA wanted him, he'd be there on draft night. NBA doesn't care about a bum ankle.

I'm much more concerned about which of their freshman might be the real deal. That's the real concern for this game. Who knows, Flagg, Maluach and another guy could be immediate impact players, and Duke is a force early on. But I'm not concerned about Proctor.
 

AJG-15

All-Conference
Apr 8, 2024
1,472
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Duke has an interesting team . Two returning guards in Procter and Foster. It’s going to be a very good defensive team , Very long ( all players above 6’5) , athletic, with good transfers that they will provide them with 3 point shooting , rebounding and experience. Add to that the number one incoming freshman class featuring the star player Flagg besides five other freshman including 2 Seven footers.

Tyrese Proctor 6’5 ( PG returning , will be JR)
Caleb Foster 6’5 (CG returning , will be Sophomore)
Sion James 6’6 ( G from Tulane)
Isaiah Evans 6’6 ( SG/ SF - f)
Darren Harris 6’6 (SG/ SF - f)
Cameron Sheffield 6”6 ( G / SF transfer from Rice , good 3 point shooter and rebounder)
Kon Knueppel 6’5 (SF -f)
Maliq Brown (PF 6’8 transfer star player at Syracuse Jr)
Mason Gillis ( 6’6 PF / SF 3 point specialist , great rebounder from Purdue )
Cooper Flagg 6’9( SF/ PF -f)
Khaman Malachi 7’2 ( f)
Patrick Ngongba 6’11( f)

Starting line up:
Procter , Foster, Flagg, Brown , Malachi.

Bench: Gillis, James, Sheffield, Kon, Evans, Harris.

Unfortunately, Duke might be favorite to win this year against our Cats.
 

christophero

Heisman
May 2, 2017
16,947
20,424
113
Hard to say who has the edge. Duke did get 3 very physical experienced role players out of the portal and has 2 starting guards back. Might depend on how good the 2 freshman big men are.
 

Son_Of_Saul

Heisman
Dec 7, 2007
44,484
94,859
113
This is really going to be THE deciding factor. Because i cant see a guy like Pope not having his team ready, where as i just dont see an underwhelming bench coach like Scheyer getting these freshman ready to play a grown-man UK team.. so its going to come down to whether Flagg can take the game over for them.

The good thing here is that Flagg will be new to this team as well, and will Duke put the ball in his hands? OR will Duke try and get a traditional guard tk take care of the offense, like a Proctor, therefore taking Flagg out of his normal point-forward role.

It will be tough, and we have to have some of our guys ready to ball.. but if they are, Duke is going to need some sort of 30pt/12r/8a performance from a guy like Flagg (or maybe someone else).
Duke snagged a nice collection of transfers in James, Gillis, Brown, and Sheffield. I really liked James as a wing defender.

I think they have all the ingredients for a deep run, unfortunately. They have four decent, experienced transfers, a solid group of returners, and an elite freshman class.

If Scheyer doesn't get it done this year by making the Final Four, it may be a while before he gets another shot.
 

Son_Of_Saul

Heisman
Dec 7, 2007
44,484
94,859
113
Duke has an interesting team . Two returning guards in Procter and Foster. It’s going to be a very good defensive team , Very long ( all players above 6’5) , athletic, with good transfers that they will provide them with 3 point shooting , rebounding and experience. Add to that the number one incoming freshman class featuring the star player Flagg besides five other freshman including 2 Seven footers.

Tyrese Proctor 6’5 ( PG returning , will be JR)
Caleb Foster 6’5 (CG returning , will be Sophomore)
Sion James 6’6 ( G from Tulane)
Isaiah Evans 6’6 ( SG/ SF - f)
Darren Harris 6’6 (SG/ SF - f)
Cameron Sheffield 6”6 ( G / SF transfer from Rice , good 3 point shooter and rebounder)
Kon Knueppel 6’5 (SF -f)
Maliq Brown (PF 6’8 transfer star player at Syracuse Jr)
Mason Gillis ( 6’6 PF / SF 3 point specialist , great rebounder from Purdue )
Cooper Flagg 6’9( SF/ PF -f)
Khaman Malachi 7’2 ( f)
Patrick Ngongba 6’11( f)

Starting line up:
Procter , Foster, Flagg, Brown , Malachi.

Bench: Gillis, James, Sheffield, Kon, Evans, Harris.

Unfortunately, Duke might be favorite to win this year against our Cats.
They have 12 legitimate players.

Hopefully they have some turmoil. That's a ton of mouths to feed. Flagg is going to eat up 30-35 minutes/game. Proctor and Foster will demand minutes. The two freshmen bigs will both want to play. The four transfers aren't coming to Durham to sit on the bench. Knueppel is a top 15 kid who will demand minutes. Same for Evans.
 
Last edited:

Son_Of_Saul

Heisman
Dec 7, 2007
44,484
94,859
113
The Flagg matchup concerns me a little on paper.

He probably plays the 4 spot for them and that is easily our weakest position defensively assuming Carr is the starter there.

And if they put him at the 3, then we don’t have anyone with the size there to match up with a 6’9 guy.

Flagg is definitely a matchup nightmare.

Luckily, on the flip side, I don’t see him having much success defensively against any of our guys.

Carr should be able to post him up and if they put him at the 3, good luck chasing Robinson, Brea, or Oweh.
C - Maluach - Ngongba
F - Flagg - Brown
F - Evans - James - Sheffield
G - Foster - Knueppel - Gillis - Harris
G - Proctor - Foster

I'm not sure how Scheyer will keep all 12 of these guys happy. I could see some midseason transfers.
 

BStockfan01

All-Conference
Mar 6, 2024
507
1,611
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Itll be a good game and we will actually have a gameplan in place. Im not even sure how we list last year we were up 15 in the 2H
 

Killswitch24

All-Conference
May 21, 2024
995
3,261
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Theres always a worry thay Flagg is the real deal and torches us the way a guy like Wall or AD could do to other teams.. but its also likely hes still figuring the game out this early.

But as for the rest of their team.. its going to be young and inexperienced. Kentucky wont have many reps together, but its going to be a lot of 3, 4 and 5th year guys. I think we win.

I also dont think scheyer is anything great and id be surprised if he has this Duke team ready to compete so early. Remember, this is a very young team even for him, and he no longer has any real carryover from the the Coach K era. I see this going the way it did for Tubby and Ollie.. early success because everything was set up for them, and the longer their predecessor was removed from the program, the worse it got.

We are finally getting to the point where Coach K is not in full control of Duke anymore. He was already having some cognitive issues when he left and it’s been 3 years this coming season. I would assume Scheyer and his guys are beginning to take control from K in some form. To me that helps, and you can already see from the officiating standpoint Duke just isn’t the same without K. I’m sure he’s been behind the scenes working with Scheyer and the team which should now begin to slow. I thought when he left it would take 3/4 years for K to give up the control and here we are.

Scheyer did get to that elite 8 but for certain reasons I don’t read much into it. Just a decent path and Duke was able to manage a good road. The fact that he couldn’t get them to a final four last year says more to me than his ability to get them to the elite 8.
 

Eight_Banners_anon

All-Conference
Apr 4, 2012
646
1,088
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Hard to say who has the edge. Duke did get 3 very physical experienced role players out of the portal and has 2 starting guards back. Might depend on how good the 2 freshman big men are.
Maliq Brown is not a role player. He had the #3 highest offensive rating in the portal and was #30 defensively in the portal. He earned his way as a starter at Syracuse, starting his last seventeen games there.

Mason Gillis isn't really a role player either. He was the #2 player in the portal in offensive efficiency. He was only #90 defensively, but his offense might keep him on the floor. I don't know if Flagg, Brown, and Gillis can be on the floor together or not, but those three are very good basketball players.

I think Kentucky will compete with Duke because we have elite defenders. Duke is going to be strong offensively out of the gate and will probably need to grow defensively throughout the year. Kentucky is going to be strong defensively, which should keep us in every game with a shot to win and will develop offensively throughout the year. Their first matchup will probably not be a runaway in either direction.