ATLANTA — Kentucky has a coach with a clipboard who knows how to use it. New Wildcats head man Mark Pope made all the right decisions down the stretch of a 77-72 win over No. 6 Duke that will have Big Blue Nation falling even further in love with him.

Kentucky coach Mark Pope doesn’t need the best of the best now; he’s got himself a squad that has plenty of talent and heart.

On one of men’s college basketball’s biggest regular-season stages, Kentucky coaching made a decisive difference as the No. 19 Wildcats upset No. 6 Duke, 77-72, in the Champions Classic before an exuberant crowd of 16,107 at the State Farm Arena.

Otega Oweh knocked down four free throws in the final 10.3 seconds and No. 19 Kentucky claimed the first big win of Mark Pope’s coaching tenure, knocking off No. 6 Duke 77-72 at the Champions Classic in Atlanta.

Kentucky is college basketball's winningest program. But it's fallen short of that standard in recent years. Here's how Mark Pope aims to change that.

It wasn't an easy decision, but when Mark Pope decided to return to coach his alma mater, he took on all the pressure of UK fandom.

It didn’t take long for Mark Pope to win over Big Blue Nation. pic.twitter.com/9o1umXbMVc Kentucky rallied from a 9-point halftime deficit to stun superstar Cooper Flagg and the Blue Devils, who missed 11 of their final 14 field goal attempts down the stretch.

Kentucky men’s basketball coach Mark Pope speaks to the media after the Wildcats’ 77-72 win over the Duke Blue Devils in the Champions Classic at State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024.