Inside Utah Valley's 24 hours of Kentucky and Duke

College basketball's opening weekend didn't feature an abundance of marquee matchups, but one team went through a scheduling gauntlet.

Utah Valley University, picked to finish third in the Western Athletic Conference, embarked Friday on what they called the #Toughest24, one of the most grueling 24-hour stretches in any sport.

Friday? A 10-point loss to No. 5 Kentucky.

Saturday? A 30-point loss to No. 1 Duke.

This back-to-back made Utah Valley the first team in AP poll history (since 1948-49) to begin its season with a pair of road games against AP top-five opponents.

ESPN was given a front-row seat of the entire experience, from the team's preparation for their daunting assignments early in the week to the aftermath of Saturday's loss.

Here's how the week unfolded.

Getting to know UVU's program

Arriving in Lexington

The Wolverines left their locker room Thursday morning in Orem, Utah for Provo Airport, where they boarded the first chartered flight in the history of the school's athletic department along with school administrators, boosters and fans.

After a nearly three-hour flight, it was off the plane, onto the bus and straight to Kentucky's Rupp Arena, where UVU's players and coaches practiced and familiarized themselves with the historic venue.

After checking in to the team hotel, the team met with the rest of the travel party at The Kentucky Castle. The restaurant's manager (a Kentucky alumnus) dubbed Pope an official "knight of the castle" and presented him with a ceremonial sword.

Finally, a late-night film study session awaited the team back at the hotel, where assistant coaches went in-depth on the game plan for Kentucky.

Falling short to Kentucky

The Wolverines didn't appear intimidated by the nearly 20,000 fans who turned out for Kentucky's season opener. UVU led for much of the first half and carried a nine-point advantage into halftime locker room.

The deficit forced Kentucky to play zone defense, something Pope acknowledged he hadn't worked with much, which fueled an 18-0 run for the Wildcats that helped them put the game away.

UVU's performance caught the attention of Kentucky coach John Calipari, who called out Pope in his postgame news conference, then took the time to meet with the former Wildcat.

Attention turns to Duke

Following Friday's 73-63 loss at Kentucky, the team took a one-hour flight from Lexington to Raleigh that landed just before 1 a.m. After some much-needed rest, breakfast at the team's Durham hotel preceded the Wolverines' first look at Duke's legendary Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Former Blue Devil Shane Battier, who was a teammate of assistant coach Chris Burgess' in the late 1990s, welcomed his friend back to campus by addressing the team and wishing them luck (but not too much luck). The Wolverines trailed by 15 at halftime and lost by a final score of 99-69, giving Mike Krzyzewski his 1,000th win at Duke.