In one of the biggest matchups of college basketball’s first week, No. 2 Kentucky and No. 4 Duke face off in the State Farm Champions Classic Tuesday at 9:30 p.m.
It is just the latest installment in a storied history between the two teams.
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Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup’s history, including stats from both schools and highlights from some of the most notable games:
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Notable moments
March 28, 1992
1-seed Duke 104, 2-seed Kentucky 103
It’s arguably the greatest NCAA tournament game ever. Duke, the defending national champions, vs. a Kentucky team that was eligible for the postseason for the first time in three years. The game was close throughout, and with 33.6 seconds left, Kentucky’s Deron Feldhaus’ putback tied the game at 93. The game ramped up in overtime. Duke’s Christian Laettner scored six straight points to give the Blue Devils a 102-101 lead. After a timeout, Sean Woods banked in a running floater to put Kentucky in front 103-102 with 2.1 seconds left. Then came The Shot: Grant Hill launched an inbounds pass to Laettner, who dribbled, turned, and shot, sending the Blue Devils to the Final Four, where they’d win their second straight title.
March 27, 1978
NCAA Championship: Kentucky 94, Duke 88
In his final collegiate game, Kentucky senior Jack Givens left everything on the court. Givens scored Kentucky’s final 16 points of the first half to give the Wildcats a seven-point lead. He finished the game with 41 points — the third-most in championship game history — after going 18-for-27 from the field. Kentucky would win its first title in 20 years, 94-88.
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March 22, 1998
2-seed Kentucky 86, 1-seed Duke 84
It had been six years since Laettner’s famous shot, and Duke and Kentucky hadn’t met again. But now they were matched up in the Elite Eight, and just like that 1992 game, a trip to the Final Four was on the line. With 11 minutes left, Duke led by 17, and it seemed revenge wasn’t in the cards for the Wildcats.
But after a remarkable comeback, Kentucky led by just two with 4.5 seconds left. Duke was inbounding the ball with a chance to win the game on a buzzer beater. It was too similar. But luckily for the Wildcats, the endings would differ. Duke’s shot ricocheted off the backboard, and the Wildcats would end up winning the title, 78-69 against Utah.
December 18, 2001
No. 1 Duke 95, No. 7 Kentucky 92, OT
Duke trailed 59-47 with 12 minutes to play. That’s when Jason Williams took over. Williams scored 19 points over the next eight minutes to give the Blue Devils a 71-69 lead. At the end of regulation, with Duke down 78-77, Williams went to the line for two free throws. He made the first, but missed the go-ahead, sending the game to overtime. Duke would outscore Kentucky 17-14 in the extra period, and Williams would finish with a career-high 38 points.
SCHOOLS
University established
Kentucky: 1865
Duke: 1838
Type
Kentucky: Public
Duke: Private
Total enrollment
Kentucky: 29,465
Duke: 16,294
Basketball program established
Kentucky: 1903
Duke: 1905
National championships
Kentucky: 8 (1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998, 2012)
Duke: 5 (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010, 2015)
Final Fours
Kentucky: 17
Duke: 16
Conference champions
Kentucky: 82 (50 regular season, 32 tournament)
Duke: 47 (22 regular season, 25 tournament)
Matchup
First meeting
March 3, 1930 — Duke 37, Kentucky 32
Record
Kentucky leads 12-9
Longest win streak
Kentucky — 6 (1957-1978)
Current head coaches
Kentucky: John Calipari (720-204 career record; 275-64 at Kentucky)
Duke: Mike Krzyzewski (1100-338 career record; 1027-279 at Duke)
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