Duke vs. Kentucky: Score, Highlights and Reaction from Champions Classic 2015

No. 2 Kentucky made an early statement as it downed No. 5 Duke 74-63 behind a balanced attack paced by a trio of sensational guards Tuesday at the Champions Classic in Chicago. 

Along with sophomore Tyler Ulis (18 points, six assists), freshmen Isaiah Briscoe and Jamal Murray penetrated the Blue Devils' experienced frontcourt and burned them on the break to help establish a double-digit cushion in the second half.

Briscoe and Murray finished with 12 and 16 points, respectively, as the Wildcats' vaunted freshman class outperformed Duke's esteemed first-year players.

Although Blue Devils freshman Derryck Thornton chipped in seven points, three rebounds and three assists off the bench, celebrated arrival Brandon Ingram floundered in front of the United Center crowd. Ingram managed as many points (four) as turnovers and fouls, and he shot 1-of-6 from the field. 

Matt Jones dropped 16 points, but his backcourt mate Grayson Allen couldn't find a rhythm passing or scoring. The sophomore totaled six points on 2-of-11 shooting while generating one assist and four turnovers.

CBS Sports' Doug Gottlieb broke down Allen's uneven performance: 

Marshall Plumlee (12 points, 10 rebounds, six blocks) and Amile Jefferson (16 points, 15 rebounds) were the most consistent Blue Devils, but the Wildcats largely neutralized the tandem in the second half, when Duke needed to make up ground in the scoring column. 

247Sports' Adam Rowe explained the deficiencies that doomed Duke: 

Both teams struggled to create offense in the early going—particularly the Blue Devils. Plumlee scored four of Duke's first six buckets from the field, as his ability to sky for rebounds and capitalize on second-chance opportunities helped the Blue Devils stay competitive over the game's first 10 minutes. 

ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman took note of Duke's first-half issues: 

Had it not been for Plumlee and Jefferson, Duke would have found itself in a major hole. The senior tandem combined to score Duke's first 15 points, and their ability to grab droves of rebounds allowed the Blue Devils to counterpunch against a more athletic Kentucky team. 

Bret Strelow of the Fayetteville Observer helped illuminate the disparity in efficiency between Duke's frontcourt and backcourt early on: 

CBS Sports' Sam Vecenie indicated Allen had trouble converting close-range buckets in traffic during his 0-of-9 start: 

However, Kentucky was able to push the pace with a more composed effort. Although Murray, Skal Labissiere (seven points, four rebounds, five fouls) and Marcus Lee (10 points, 10 rebounds) struggled to find twine in the first half, the backcourt combination of Ulis and Briscoe didn't experience similar problems. 

As Bleacher Report's C.J. Moore observed, the sophomore was particularly potent against Duke's slower guards: 

Once Murray found his footing in the second half, it was a wrap for the Wildcats. Duke's offense wasn't able to generate much off the bounce, and it didn't run its sets with enough fluidity to match Kentucky's aggression. 

Given the transition the defending national champions are undergoing with Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow and Tyus Jones all racking up experience in the NBA, it wasn't entirely surprising to see Duke fall to a supremely talented Kentucky team. 

The Blue Devils have plenty of time to grow and develop under head coach Mike Krzyzewski's watchful eye, and it's only a matter of time before Ingram, Allen and Co. get into a groove and start wreaking havoc on the ACC.

Kentucky, on the other hand, is a nightmare for just about every team in the nation. The Wildcats have the country's deepest pool of freshman talent in the country, and they all already look polished beyond their years. Based on Tuesday's effort, it's scary to think Kentucky stands to improve as its youngsters gain chemistry and learn the intricacies of head coach John Calipari's scheme. 

The Wildcats will be back in action Friday against Wright State, while Duke is slated to do battle with VCU the same day at the 2K Classic in New York. 

Postgame Reaction

"If you have good guards, you have a chance to win, and Kentucky has three point guards," Coach K said, per the Courier-Journal's Kyle Tucker. 

Tucker added that Krzyzewski was particularly impressed by Ulis: 

"God was good to him," Krzyzewski said of Ulis, per Tucker. "They didn't give him height, but they gave him probably a heart that's five times bigger than most people."

Krzyzewski, however, couldn't gush about his own team the way he did Kentucky's star guard, per the News and Observer's Laura Keeley: 

"We just have to figure out our team," Krzyzewski said, according to Keeley. "That's what we're trying to do. We have a lot of improvement ahead of that, we just have to accept that."