Duke vs. Kentucky final score: 3 things we learned in Blue Devils’ blowout win

INDIANAPOLIS — Duke vs. Kentucky was built up as a potential national championship preview on the season’s opening night. Kentucky entered as No. 2 in the preseason polls, possessing a rare mix of returning talent and five-star studs. Duke entered at No. 4. It didn’t have the Wildcats’ depth or experience, but it did have the country’s top three incoming recruits in R.J. Barrett, Zion Williamson and Cameron Reddish.

It only took a few minutes to dispel the notion this would be a competitive matchup. Duke dominated from the opening tip, handing Kentucky a 118-84 beatdown at the Champions Classic under the brights lights of ESPN.

Duke’s freshmen immediately took center stage, scoring 11 points on the team’s first four possessions. It only got more one-sided from there. By halftime, Barrett, Williamson and Reddish had combined for 45 of Duke’s 59 points. Kentucky had 42 points as a team.

It’s only one game, but there was so much to take away from the way the Blue Devils steamrolled John Calipari’s group.

It sounds like hyperbole, especially after only one game. But if Duke’s freshmen just did that to Kentucky, imagine what they’re going to do to typical college teams.

Barrett (33 points) was unstoppable driving to the hole and finished 3-of-7 from behind the three-point line. Williamson (28 points on 11-of-13 shooting) scored at will in the paint, threw some nice passes and even canned a couple jumpers. Reddish (22 points) is just so smooth with the ball for a wing with his size.

Not only are Barrett, Williamson and Reddish all big, fast and skilled, each also plays an unselfish game and generally seems to have a team-first attitude. Some wondered if there would be competing agendas on a team with this much top-end talent, but the young Duke stars appear to have the right mindset at the onset of the season.

This doesn’t even mention Tre Jones, another five-star freshmen, who finished with six points and six assists as the team’s starting point guard.

Holy cow, this Duke team is loaded.

This was a humbling opener for the Wildcats in every way. Kentucky fans jammed Bankers Life Fieldhouse only to watch their team get humiliated by the type of five-star freshmen they’re used to Calipari landing.

Still, there’s a silver lining for Kentucky: unless they play Duke again in the NCAA tournament, they won’t see a team this talented the rest of the season.

Kentucky is still deep, talented and experienced. They still have eight five-star recruits and seven McDonald’s All-Americans on the roster. The Wildcats are still the favorites in the SEC. They could very well make the Final Four. They just weren’t anything close to this Duke team.

It will be interesting to see how UK responds. I was lower on them than some preseason because of the lack of shooting, uninspiring point guard play, and the idea that these freshmen — while great — weren’t at the level of Kentucky’s best freshmen under Calipari.

There’s a lot of time to go before we can write off the Wildcats, but this was a bummer of a start.

If you thought Duke got a lot of media attention before, America, you might want to keep your TV turned off through the first week of April.

Williamson would demand attention even by himself. With Barrett and Reddish, Duke has such a unique mix of top talent that each game will be a spectacle. They might go 1-2-3 in the NBA draft come June.

Yes, it’s one game. No one is crowning Duke just yet. But in terms of leaving a first impression, the Blue Devils just made an opening statement that should leave every other team in the country scared straight.