There’s going to be plenty of pomp and circumstance this season for Duke.
The farewell tour for legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski took it’s first lap at the State Farm Champions Classic.
But it wasn’t a smooth lap for the No. 9 ranked Blue Devils, Kentucky made sure of that.
When it came time to close, however, No. 9 Duke had just enough left in the tank.
Trevor Keels (25 points) Paolo Banchero (22 points) helped the Blue Devils pull away from No. 10 Kentucky, 79-71, Tuesday night in the late game at Madison Square Garden. Earlier in the night, No. 3 Kansas defeated Michigan State, 87-74.
“It was an amazing game that felt so good with the Garden crowd and playing against an outstanding team,” Krzyzewski said. “They are tough. and we are tough. That was a big-time game. Really big time.”
The loud split crowd at Madison Square Garden that included many members of the New York Knicks and Bruce Springsteen was on its feet for most of the second half.
Duke, which led by four at halftime, built the advantage to 15 with just under 10 minutes left behind Keels.
Kentucky, however, showed their toughness with an 11-0 run to pull within four points, with 6:07 left to play.
But that’s as close as the Wildcats would get.
Krzyzewski has gone 34-11 at MSG, including winning five of the last six there. The Blue Devils are 39-18 overall at the arena.
