Duke basketball hoping history on its side again against Kentucky

The Duke basketball team is hoping history is on its side against Kentucky on Tuesday night. 

History has been good to the Duke basketball program and head coach Mike Krzyzewski over the course of his career, and the Blue Devils are hoping history will be on their side once again.

Duke and Kentucky, two of the premier programs in the country, will play under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden in the State Farm Champions Classic.

In the all-time series, Kentucky is 12-10 against Duke, but the Blue Devils have won eight of their last ten games against the Wildcats, including a 118-84 victory the last time the programs met.

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Mike Krzyzewski has a 6-2 record against Kentucky in his Hall of Fame career, and the Blue Devils are 8-6 against the Wildcats on a neutral court.

Coach K has a 3-1 overall record against Kentucky head coach John Calipari and a 2-1 record with both coaches at their current programs.

However, Calipari hopes he will have a chance to even his record against Mike Krzyzewski while at Kentucky since Tuesday night is the last scheduled meeting between the two coaches.

“I’m hoping this isn’t the last time we play him. Don’t make any mistakes about that. I hope we play him one more,” Calipari told the media on Monday afternoon.

Duke basketball loves the bright lights of Madison Square Garden

After not making a trip to Manhattan last season because of the coronavirus pandemic, Duke will return to The Garden for the first time since defeating California and Georgetown en route to a 2K Empire Classic Championship.

The Blue Devils have a 38-18 record at MSG all-time, with a 33-11 record under Coach K.

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Duke has won four straight games, and five of its last six, at Madison Square Garden as Krzyzewski always has his team ready to play in the New York Metropolitan area, sporting a 72-27 record in games in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New Jersey.

Tipoff is scheduled for approximately 9:30 p.m. E.T. between the No. 9 Blue Devils and No. 10 Wildcats, and the game can be seen on ESPN.

PREDICTION: No. 9 Duke 80, No. 10 Kentucky 71