John Calipari: Kentucky 'Outplayed' and 'Outcoached' vs. Zion Williamson, Duke

Kentucky Wildcats head men's basketball coach John Calipari had no excuses following his team's 118-84 loss to the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils on Tuesday.

According to ESPN.com's Myron Medcalf, Calipari admitted that Duke beat Kentucky in every key area: "They were just better than us. "I told [my team], 'I got outcoached, you guys got outplayed. We'll watch the tape and move on.'"

The 34-point margin of defeat was the largest of Calipari's coaching career in both the NCAA and NBA.

Kentucky entered the game ranked No. 2 in the nation, but Calipari sees special things in the Blue Devils' future if they continue to play at the level they displayed Tuesday: "They're a very good team. If they play like that, they're not losing many, if that's who they are."

A trio of freshmen in RJ Barrett, Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish led head coach Mike Krzyzewski's squad. Barrett scored a game-high 33 points, Williamson added 28 and Reddish chipped in 22.

After opening the season with one of the most difficult possible matchups, Kentucky will have a chance to regroup Friday when it faces Southern Illinois. The Wildcats figure to be heavy favorites throughout their nonconference slate until a Dec. 22 clash with the No. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels.