By Keith Taylor
Special to NKyTribune
CHICAGO — Mike Krzyzewski has been around a lot of elite guards in his coaching career. The Duke coach couldn’t quit bragging on Tyler Ulis after second-ranked Kentucky defeated the Blue Devils 74-63 in the State Farm Champions Classic Tuesday night at the United Center.
“Ulis played a great game,” the Hall of Fame coach said. “He really takes control of the game.”
Playing in front of several friends and family in his hometown, Ulis treated the showdown between the two college basketball giants like any other game and it showed as the Wildcats defeated the Blue Devils for the first time since 1998.
“I just see it as another game,” said Ulis, who scored a game-high 18 points and had six assists. “It doesn’t matter about coming home or where we’re playing. I just come out there and just try to do what we need to do to win.”
Although short in stature, Krzyzewski said Ulis makes up for the lack of size with his determination and skill.
“God was good to him,” he said. “The gene-pool was good, (God) didn’t give him height, but gave him a heart that’s five times bigger than most people. He has great balance and poise. He’s a heck of a player. It doesn’t look like he gets tired. He’s in complete control of his team.”
BOXSCORE: Kentucky 74, Duke 63
Three games into the new season, Kentucky coach John Calipari likes the way Ulis has taken command of the Wildcats. Calipari said Ulis simply “believes in himself” and is a “skilled player with a great feel for the game.”
“When he’s off the court, you know we’re not the same,” he said. “He’s learning to lead off the court now, doing great stuff. He’s kind of like a baseball player that watches the ball and he can see the seams. The game’s happening slower for him.”
Ulis and sidekick Jamal Murray provided a big boost and helped the Wildcats (3-0) clear their first hurdle of the season in an early-season showdown against the fifth-ranked Blue Devils. Murray was impressive himself, scoring 16 points to go along with five assists and three steals.
“Me and Jamal (Murray) had to step up,” Ulis said. “It was me and Jamal’s day. I feel like our backcourt took care of it.”
Both players also took care of the basketball. Ulis didn’t commit a turnover, while Murray had just three miscues.
“Jamal came in and did his job,” Ulis said. “He didn’t look like a freshman out there.”
Isaiah Briscoe, part of the team’s three-guard starting lineup anchored by Ulis and Murray, added 12 points as four of Kentucky’s five starters tallied double figures.
Two of Kentucky’s post players — Marcus Lee and Skal Labissiere fouled out — but the three starting guards picked up the slack and tallied 46 points.
“We have good chemistry and play off each other,” Murray said. “We pick our spots offensively. We just kind of take turns. Between us and Isaiah, we just try to help our team win and put us in the best position (to win).”
The showdown gave Calipari an indication of where his team stands after playing three games in five days to open the season. Although he stressed more improvement, the Kentucky coach is happy with his team’s progress.
“If we learn to fight every possession, play the guy before he catches the ball, be alert defensively and stay in a stance and really bounce and play off one another we’re going to be really good,” he said. “If we don’t, we’ll be an average team. I like our guards, I like our wings and I like our ability to shoot the ball.”
As evidenced by Kentucky’s showing against the Blue Devils, an up-and-down tempo suits the Wildcats just fine and Ulis served notice to future opponents who want to equalize the court.
“We’re going to be trouble in a fast-paced game like that because whoever rebounds, me, Isaiah or Jamal, those three guys rebound really well. I’m not, I’m really small,” he said. “We get out, pushing the break, and very unselfish with each other. We understand we all have different types of game and can do a lot of great things. We play well with each other.”
Even Krzyzewski noticed.
“They were stronger than we were on the perimeter, especially Ulis and Murray,” he said. “They are strong and have good guards. They played better than we did. They’re good, really good.”
Game tracker: Wright State at Kentucky, Friday, 8 p.m. TV/Radio: SEC Network, 98.1 FM WBUL.
Notes
* Lee recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. He added two blocks before fouling out.
* Alex Poythress played a season-high 30 minutes and finished with nine points and seven rebounds.
“He’s still trying to bully,” Calipari said. “You can’t bully. You have to be an athlete. You have to go by people. You can’t go through. But, again, he’s coming off an ACL, guys. I’m hard on him, but I’m allowed to be.”
* Labissiere had a season-low seven points and snagged five rebounds before fouling out in the second half. Despite his lack of production, Calipari isn’t worried about Labissiere, who was the team’s leading scorer (17.5 points per game) following the first two games.
“He’s going to be fine,” Calipari said. “It’s all new to him.”
Keith Taylor is a columnist and senior sports writer who covers University of Kentucky athletics for KyForward.com