Kentucky Coach John Calipari on Duke Loss: 'They Were Just Better Than Us

Duke freshmen starred in the dominant win over Kentucky.
Kentucky Coach John Calipari on Duke Loss: 'They Were Just Better Than Us
Kentucky Coach John Calipari on Duke Loss: 'They Were Just Better Than Us /

Kentucky coach John Calipari said he got "outcoached" by rival Mike Krzyzewski after his team's 118–84 loss to No. 4 Duke on Tuesday in the Champions Classic.

It was the worst loss of his coaching career. 

"They were just better than us," Calipari said, according to ESPN. "I told [my team], 'I got outcoached, you guys got outplayed. We'll watch the tape and move on.'"

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Duke freshmen Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett starred in their debuts by scoring 61 combined points. Fellow freshmen forward Cam Reddish and point guard Tre Jones also contributed big. Jones had four rebounds and seven assists, while Reddish added 22 points in 24 minutes. Jones had zero turnovers in his 31 minutes. 

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Krzyzewski called his freshman core "magnificent."

''To play this well on this stage, right away against Kentucky is surprising,'' Krzyzewski said. ''I'm really proud of my freshmen.''

Duke next faces Army on Sunday. Kentucky will take on Southern Illinois on Saturday.


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