The Big Lead

Kentucky shot its way to an upset, Arkansas shot its way out of one

Kentucky passes the ball and shoots it well under Mark Pope, but John Calipari's problems seem to have followed him from Lexington to his new home

By Javon Edmonds

Nov 9, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope looks on during the second half against the Bucknell Bison at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
Nov 9, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope looks on during the second half against the Bucknell Bison at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
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Kentucky fans woke up Wednesday morning with huge smiles on their faces and a confidence that hasn't been felt in Lexington in quite some time — and it's understandable.

The Wildcats earned their first signature win of the Mark Pope era with Tuesday's 77-72 win against Duke in the Champions Classic.

Kentucky (3-0) went down to Atlanta and overcame a nine-point halftime deficit to upset Duke (2-1), who featured the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2024.

Cooper Flagg showed out for the Blue Devils, scoring 26 points on 9-of-19 shooting and hauling in 12 rebounds to go with two blocks. However, Kentucky executed the philosophy of letting the star go off, but not his team.

While Khaman Malauch and Tyrese Proctor scored in double figures on good percentages, the Blue Devils made it clear they wanted to win from beyond the arc, and they wanted Kon Knueppel to be the reason why.

Pope and his team had the scouting report as Knueppel was held to 25% shooting from the field, and Duke shot just 17.4% from three as a team. Meanwhile, the Wildcats ran an actual offense, moving the ball to the tune of 17 assists on 25 field goals and a 40% night from three.

Meanwhile, things aren't going as great for former Kentucky coach John Calipari and his new Arkansas squad.

Through two games, it's clear the Razorbacks can't shoot. Calipari's squad shot 21.1% from deep in its season-opening win against Lipscomb. it led to Scott Drew keeping his Baylor squad in a zone defense during its 72-67 win against Arkansas on Saturday.

The Razorbacks trailed by as many as 11 points and shot 25% from three. Of Arkansas's 58 field goals this season, just 23 have been assisted on, and the Razorbacks are averaging 11.5 turnovers per game.

Calipari flamed out at Kentucky because of his one-and-done philosophy and isolation-heavy offense. Pope wasn't a one-and-done guy at BYU and, through two games, his team moves the ball and shoots it well while Calipari's issues have followed him to Fayetteville. If the trend keeps up, the headline of the SEC season very well may be the Wildcats entering the SEC Tournament with a higher seen than Arkansas.

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