No. 19 Kentucky got its first look at a big dog Tuesday with its game against No. 6 Duke, and by walking away from the Champions Classic clash with the 77-72 win, the Wildcats proved themselves to still be big dogs too.

The Wildcats locked down defensively in the final ten minutes of the game, leading to the win. After the win, Coach Pope's former head coach, when he was a player at Kentucky Rick Pitino, had a message.

Pope played two seasons at Kentucky, winning a national championship with the program in 1996 under legendary coach Rick Pitino. Following five seasons piloting BYU, Pope accepted the head job for the Wildcats this past April to succeed John Calipari.

Mark Pope delivered an early signature win as Kentucky's head coach, but he's putting the attention on his players.

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 basketball has its first signature win of the Mark Pope coaching era. The No. 19-ranked Wildcats toppled No. 6 Duke 77-72 in the Champions Classic on Tuesday night at State Farm Arena. Despite trailing by as many as 10 points late in the first half,

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.

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.

Pope made the UK coaching job his. 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,

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.