With the score tied in the final seconds, the nation's most celebrated teenaged basketball prospect sensed it was his moment. Cooper Flagg got the mismatch he wanted against 6-foot-11 Andrew Sarr and prepared to attack him off the dribble.
Everything was set up for Flagg to deliver a signature moment on the Champions Classic stage, but for one of the only times all night the Duke freshman failed to come through. He took too long going at Carr, enabling Kentucky guard Otega Oweh to leave his man and poke the ball away.
Oweh then drew a foul at the other end of the floor and sank the go-ahead free throws to help secure first-year Kentucky coach Mark Pope's first signature victory at his alma mater. Oweh and fellow guard Lamont Butler made five of six free throws in the final 10 seconds to earn a come-from-behind 77-72 victory over the sixth-ranked Blue Devils.
Flagg led both teams with 26 points and 12 rebounds. He was the best player on the floor for either team until the final minute.
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