The praise for Kentucky continues following last week’s win over No. 6 Duke. Andy Katz named the Cats his March Madness National Team of the Week this morning for their performance in the comeback victory in the Champions Classic. He also boosted Kentucky from No. 15 to No. 5 in his Power 37 rankings. Duke fell one spot to No. 6.
In the writeup, Katz praised Kentucky’s defense on Duke superstar Cooper Flagg and said the Cats are “extremely well-connected” under Mark Pope just three games in.
The Wildcats won a thriller over Duke at the Champions Classic in Atlanta, beating the Blue Devils 77-72. Kentucky trailed by nine at the half and eight with just under nine minutes remaining. Kentucky did a great job defensively on Cooper Flagg in the final two Duke possessions, forcing turnovers. Wake Forest transfer Andrew Carr scored a team-high 17 and Oklahoma transfer Otega Owes scored 15, including two clinching free throws. The Wildcats entered the week 3-0 and appeared to be extremely well-connected for coach Mark Pope…