Duke vs. Kentucky final score, results: Coach K begins his final season with a W at Champions Classic

Madison Williams

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Duke vs. Kentucky final score, results: Coach K begins his final season with a W at Champions Classic image

The second game of the 2021 Champions Classic showcased a close battle between No. 9 Duke and No. 10 Kentucky, but the Blue Devils consistently held the lead and left with the 79-71 win.

Freshmen Blue Devils Trevor Keels (25 points) and Paolo Banchero (22 points) led all scorers on Tuesday night. The young stars bring promise this season, especially since the Blue Devils last year failed to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1995.

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Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe (17 points) and Shavir Wheeler (16 points) tested the Blue Devils in the second half in a back-and-forth scoring battle (in all, the game featured eight total lead changes). Duke went on a 20-6 run, with the Wildcats following that with an 11-0 run. Keels halted the Kentucky run by creating a 7-0 run for the Blue Devils, eventually securing the Duke win.

Sporting News tracked live scoring updates and highlights from Duke vs. Kentucky on Tuesday. Read below for complete results from the 2021 Champions Classic.

Duke vs. Kentucky score

  H1 H2 F
Duke 39 40 79
Kentucky 35 36 71

Duke vs. Kentucky live updates, highlights from 2021 Champions Classic

(All times Eastern)

End of second quarter: Duke 79, Kentucky 71

11:48 p.m. — A turnover by Kentucky ends the game as Duke gets the ball with 18 seconds left.

11:47 p.m. — Wheeler decreases Duke's lead to just six with a minute left in the game.

11:43 p.m. — The Blue Devils now go on a run of their own, 7-0. The run ends after Tyty Washington Jr. adds two points to Kentucky's score. Duke is up 76-67.

11:38 p.m. — The crowd goes wild as Banchero makes an immediate basket as the ball is thrown back into bounds. He is also fouled on the play, so it turns into a three-point play.

11:37 p.m. — Keels is having quite a game, as he ends Duke's scoring drought. They are up 71-65.

11:34 p.m. — Tshiebwe extends Kentucky's run to 11-0 as he makes his third basket in a row. He is fouled on the shot and was able to add one extra point to his play. Duke's lead is now just 69-65.

11:32 p.m. — Tshiebwe cuts Duke's lead to single digits after Kentucky grabs three rebounds off their own attempts. Kentucky is on a 6-0 run, but Duke still leads 69-60.

11:28 p.m. — Kentucky's Mintz and Brooks Jr. score back-to-back jumpers to end a 20-6 run by the Blue Devils. The Wildcats now trail 69-58.

11:26 p.m. — Banchero is back in the game. He scores a 2-point basket to help the Blue Devils keep a 13-point lead. On their next possession, Banchero makes another basket, now giving Duke a new largest lead of the night: 69-54.

11:24 p.m. — Roach scores a 2-point basket to extend Duke's lead to 13: 65-52.

11:23 p.m. — Wendell Moore Jr. also heads to the locker room, most likely to deal with cramps.

11:19 p.m. — Duke's lead extends after another John basket, putting them up 61-50. Kentucky's Lance Ware answers with a basket of his own.

11:16 p.m. — Duke takes its largest lead of the night after a Theo John basket, going up 59-50. This triggers a Kentucky timeout.

11:14 p.m. — Keels scores his 17th point as he is the lead scorer on the court so far tonight. Duke is up 55-48.

11:12 p.m. — Keels is fouled for a block, which creates a loud response in Madison Square Garden.

11:06 p.m. — Banchero heads to the locker room to get looked at. There is no official statement on the reason why.

11:04 p.m. — Duke extends their lead to 51-48 with a Keels basket after a back-and-forth battle for the first 4.5 minutes of the half.

11:01 p.m. — The next four possessions result in scoring. Duke scores two points, followed by Kentucky scoring two points, then Duke scores another two points and it ends with a 2-point basket from Wheeler. Kentucky goes up 46-45 in this back-and-forth battle.

11:00 p.m. — Brooks Jr. scores a 3-pointer to put Kentucky in the lead for the first time tonight. They're up 42-41.

10:59 p.m. — Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe opens the second half with a dunk, making it a one-possession game.

End of first half: Duke 39, Kentucky 35

10:40 p.m. — Grady makes another crucial 3-pointer with 21 seconds remaining in the half. Kentucky is now down 39-35.

10:39 p.m. — Joey Baker attempts a 3, but then rebounds his own ball. He's fouled on his 2-point attempt. He makes both free throw attempts, giving the Blue Devils another seven-point lead, 39-32.

10:32 p.m. — Kellan Grady answers Keels' 3-pointer with one of his own. Kentucky decreases Duke's lead to 34-30. This was Grady's second 3-pointer of the night.

10:31 p.m. — Keels scores a 3-pointer to give Duke a seven-lead, up 34-27. It was also the first 3-pointer made by the Blue Devils.

10:25 p.m. — Banchero scores his 10th point of the game to give Duke it's largest lead, 29-23.

10:22 p.m. — Kentucky's Keion Brooks Jr. earns a personal foul on Banchero, who then makes both free throws. Duke is up 27-23.

10:18 p.m. — The ball gets loose as it goes back and forth between Kentucky and Duke, until finally ending up in Duke's hands. Jeremy Roach scores off the play, and Duke increases their lead to 25-20.

10:06 p.m. — Heading into the second media timeout, Duke leads 19-18.

10:04 p.m. — Duke immediately takes the lead back with a Mark Williams two-point basket.

10:03 p.m. — Davion Mintz ties the game with a Kentucky 3-pointer. 13-13.

10:01 p.m. — Trevor Keels dunks to give Duke their largest lead in the night so far. Duke up 13-8.

10:00 p.m. — Moore Jr. makes a second-chance dunk for two points. Duke is up 11-8.

9:50 p.m. — The Duke freshman Paolo Banchero makes his first basket of his Duke career. The Blue Devils go up 6-3.

9:47 p.m. — Wendell Moore Jr. makes the first basket of the night, putting the Blue Devils on top 2-0.

9:46 p.m. — Duke wins the tipoff but does not score on its first possession.

Duke vs. Kentucky start time

  • Date: Tuesday, Nov. 9
  • Time: 9:30 p.m. ET | 6:30 p.m. PT

The Duke vs. Kentucky game is the second game showcased in the 2021 Champions Classic, behind Kansas vs. Michigan State. The game will tip off at 9:30 p.m. ET in Madison Square Garden located in New York City.

What channel is Duke vs. Kentucky on?

  • TV Channel: ESPN
  • Live stream: ESPN+, fuboTV

Duke vs. Kentucky will be shown on ESPN as the second game of the Champions Classic.

Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas will broadcast from the booth, while Holly Rowe will report from the sidelines. Dick Vitale will miss his first Champions Classic due to his chemotherapy treatment.

Additionally, ESPN's streaming service ESPN+ will show the game, along with fuboTV, which offers a seven-day free trial .

Duke schedule 2021

Here are Duke's next five games.

Nationally broadcast games are bold.

Date Opponent Time (ET) TV Channel
Nov. 9 No. 10 Kentucky 9:30 p.m. ESPN, fuboTV
Nov. 12 Army 7:00 p.m. ACC Network, fuboTV
Nov. 13 Campbell 8:00 p.m. ACC Network+, ESPN+, fuboTV
Nov. 16 Gardner-Webb 7:00 p.m. ACC Network+, fuboTV
Nov. 19 Lafayette 8:00 p.m. ACC Network, fuboTV

Kentucky schedule 2021

Here are Kentucky's next five games.

Nationally broadcast games are bold.

Date Opponent Time (ET) TV Channel
Nov. 9 No. 9 Duke 9:30 p.m. ESPN, fuboTV
Nov. 12 Robert Morris 7:00 p.m. SEC Network, fuboTV
Nov. 16 Mount St. Mary's 7:00 p.m. SEC Network, fuboTV
Nov. 19 Ohio 7:00 p.m. SEC Network, fuboTV
Nov. 22 Albany TBD N/A

Madison Williams