Kentucky is limited by foul trouble and trails Duke at halftime

The team with a talent advantage that is longer and more athletic beats the deeper team with more experience at halftime.

We knew this would go one of two ways: Duke’s youth would be in the spotlight, or Kentucky’s lack of pro talent would struggle to slow down a team full of talent. Unfortunately for the Cats, it was the former, as the Blue Devils took a 46-37 halftime lead. And the result is probably a little tighter than the game actually feels.

Kentucky made seven three-pointers in the first half to stay competitive, but shot just 36.7 percent from the field overall and finished at 61.5 percent. Foul issues were also a serious problem for the Wildcats, with ten fouls spread between seven players and three involving two players each. Andrew Carr and Amari Williams lead the way with eight points each, followed by Otega Oweh with six, Lamont Butler with five and Ansley Almonor and Kerr Kriisa with three. Jaxson Robinson didn’t make a single shot attempt beyond a foul on a 3-point attempt and hit just one of three free throws.

On the other hand, Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel led the way with 12 points each, while Tyrese Proctor added 10. Unlike the Wildcats, the Blue Devils are only shooting 25.0 percent from three-point range, despite shooting a strong 48.6 percent from the field overall.

Of course there was plenty of time to clean up, but it was undoubtedly a rough start for the people of Lexington.

20 minutes before the takes fly.