Duke's Mason Plumlee, along with fellow seniors Ryan Kelly and Seth Curry, carried the Blue Devils to a 75-68 win over Kentucky. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY
ATLANTA—Normally, a team playing without its best player against the No. 3 team in the country would be a disaster.
For Duke, though, a six-minute stretch without Mason Plumlee proved to be crucial, as the Blue Devils built a lead that would last the rest of the way. No. 9 Duke knocked off No. 3 Kentucky, 75-68. It was the Blue Devils first win over a nonconference opponent ranked in the top three since 2005.
“It’s a huge step, and not just because we won, but the way we won," Ryan Kelly said. "We felt like for 40 minutes, we really played our defense, Duke defense. Obviously this was a team, No. 3 in the country, they’re high-level, high-talent, and they’re going to be in the mix in at the end of the year. This early, it’s a huge win for us.”
