Tuesday Headlines: Duke Gameday - Cincinnati Sports News

Mark Pope — Dylan Ballard – A Sea Of Blue

The season starts now for Kentucky basketball.

It’s GAMEDAY as the No. 19 Kentucky Wildcats prepare to face the No. 6 Duke Blue Devils in “Catlanta.”

Kentucky will take on Duke in the second game of the State Farm Champions Classic, which will feature No. 1 Kansas and Michigan State in the first of the two games.

Despite the Wildcats entering the game as 6.5-point underdogs, there’s a lot of optimism that Kentucky can make this a “real” game and even possibly claim victory at the end.

The Wildcats have displayed a sound chemistry on offense, sharing the basketball and making shots at a very high percentage. All-be-it against Wright State and Bucknell, Kentucky has built all of the confidence in the world heading into tonight’s game.

Kentucky’s momentum should be a real concern for Duke, but the Blue Devils also pose a serious threat that the Wildcats should be worried about — Cooper Flagg.

The star freshman stands 6’9 and is anticipated to be the top choice in next year’s NBA draft. He’s highly regarded as the most talented player in the sport and poses a serious threat to Kentucky’s defense.

Head coach Mark Pope and the Wildcats might be wise to throw as many bodies and different looks at Flagg as possible, wearing him down and forcing someone else to beat them.

The game’s total is set at 160.5 points, so expect a high-scoring game. With ESPN’s Basketball Power Index is only giving the Wildcats a 29.2% chance to win, the pace of play just might play to Kentucky’s favor.

It all starts tonight at 9 PM ET on ESPN.