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Depth at 5-spot played key role in Kentucky's win over Duke

Adam Luckettby:Adam Luckett11/13/24

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Kentucky F Brandon Garrison dunks one home at Rupp Arena, via Mont Dawson, KSR
Kentucky F Brandon Garrison dunks one home at Rupp Arena, via Mont Dawson, KSR

Kentucky does not win the game without a huge second half where the multi-possession underdog outscored Duke 40-26 after the halftime break. The Wildcats made some adjustments on defense and added nine points from the free throw line. The win was a team effort.

But Mark Pope‘s team needed a ton from the five spot due to how Duke decided to defend the Wildcats in the Champions Classic on Tuesday night in Atlanta.

“It’s a space we mess around with a lot. Credit to Duke, they chose to guard us in two different ways. One really pressure five and one really back off the five. Both were a little problematic for us with pressure on the court,” Pope explained. “It was a great game plan on their part, and they executed it really well with the length and talent they have.”

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In the first half, starting center Amari Williams owned an extremely high usage rate recording 25.8% of Kentucky’s field goal attempts. Duke took away the shooters and forced UK to play against their length inside the arc. Two-point shooting had been electric against inferior competition for the Wildcats until Tuesday night. In the first half, Kentucky made only 4-of-15 shots from two-point range.

That changed in the second half with 11-of-23 shooting from two-point range. The Wildcats got four of those buckets from reserve big Brandon Garrison.

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The Oklahoma State transfer finished the game with eight points, four rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in 18 minutes. During a key stretch in the second half, Garrison scored six consecutive points for Kentucky turning a 61-55 deficit with nine minutes left into a 63-61 deficit with 6:49 left. From there, Kentucky outscored Duke 16-9 to close the game.

In the final segment, Pope shifted Andrew Carr into the five spot and that led to a big and-one. Amari Williams played a key role in keeping the Wildcats afloat in the first half as the UK ate a big punch from Duke. Garrison’s production in the second helped spark Kentucky’s winning push.

Despite a great game plan from Duke, Kentucky’s depth found a way. The team with better depth won at the Champions Classic.

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2024-12-08