Mark Pope had some high praise for Lamont Butler after the win over No. 6 Duke

Butler is a massive part of this Kentucky team.

Nov 12, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Lamont Butler (1) dribbles against Duke Blue Devils guard Tyrese Proctor (5) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Kentucky got their first big win of the season over No. 6 Duke in the Champions Classic, and it was Mark Pope's first signature statement victory as head coach of the Wildcats. One of the players who made big plays in the win was Lamont Butler, who helped seal the victory with free-throws in the final minutes along with Otega Oweh.

Mark Pope knows how important Butler is to this Kentucky team, and when he's on the floor, Kentucky raised their bar. Pope even called the veteran guard the "foundation" of this Kentucky team. Not only that, but the team knows they need to stick together through it all to be successful.

"Lamont (Butler) is the foundation of this team. If you get to know Lamont Butler, like he's one of the best people that I've ever met. That's just not an overstatement. He's a winner. We just talked about it, like, we're riding or dying together, man. That's how this team is. I feel the same way about Otega (Oweh), I feel the same way about Andrew (Carr). We're our guys. We're each other's guys. We're not going away from each other. If we have have a bad half, a bad play, a bad game, we're running back to each other. That's the conversation we had with Lamont. He doesn't need much. He has a winner's heart. He had an unbelievable second half. He really gave us a massive lift in the second half."

- Pope on Lamont Butler and togetherness.

Butler was pretty even in the stat sheet, like usual, contributing in many different ways. He finished the game with 9 points on 3-7 overall and 1-3 from three-point range, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds. He didn't get a steal or block, but his backcourt teammate, Otega Oweh, had a block and 2 steals added to his stat line.

Kentucky fought back and showed a lot of poise and resilience to get the win, and Lamont Butler had some big plays to help make it happen.