Duke Basketball: Halftime report from the Champions Classic
In the featured matchup of the night, Duke Basketball is facing off against the Kentucky Wildcats and they have reached the intermission at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The No. 4 Duke Blue Devils shot out of a cannon to start the Champions Classic against the No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats, literally.
The Blue Devils made their first four shots of the game, all by freshman. Three pointers by Tre Jones and Cam Reddish, a driving layup by R.J. Barrett and another three by Zion Williamson.
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From the jump, Duke flexed their muscles literally and figuratively.
The Blue Devils led by as much as 20 points in the first half against Kentucky, but at the break, Duke leads Kentucky 59 – 42.
Barrett leads Duke with 20 points, connecting on nine of his seventeen shot attempts, making two of five from three point range.
Williamson has 13 points, while Tre Jones has six points and five assists and Cam Reddish is with 12 points.
One of the biggest problems for Duke in the first half was foul trouble.
Javin DeLaurier picked up three fouls in only four minutes of play, while Williamson, Reddish, Antonio Vrankovic, and Jack White also have two fouls each.
As a team Duke made
As for Kentucky, they were led by Keldon Johnson who has 14 points, making six of his eleven shot attempts and has been far and away, the best play on the floor for the Wildcats.
The key for the Blue Devils in the second half is to stay out of foul trouble and to continue to keep the pressure up on the offensive end and not become complacent.
If Duke can do that, they should leave Bankers Life Fieldhouse with a win and head back to Durham at 1-0 with a win over the No. 2 team in the country on the very young season
Stay tuned to Ball Durham at our Twitter, @Ball_Durham, and here at our website, balldurham.com, for complete coverage of the Duke Blue Devils vs. the Kentucky Wildcats.