A new chapter in one of college basketball’s fiercest rivalries begins on Saturday when No. 5 Kentucky hosts Louisville in Lexington, Ky.
Both Kentucky coach Mark Pope, who played in two of the games in the 1990s, and Louisville coach Pat Kelsey took over their programs this year. The Wildcats (9-1) have won five of the last six meetings and have not lost to the Cardinals (6-4) at Rupp Arena since 2008.
Pope’s fast-paced offense leads the nation in scoring, averaging 91.1 points per game. It’s a balanced attack, too, as six players score 10 or more points per game, led by guard Otega Oweh’s 15.6 average. Koby Brea is second in the country in 3-point shooting, hitting 56.1 percent (32 of 57). The Wildcats also have scored impressive victories over Duke and Gonzaga on neutral courts.
Like his counterpart down the road, Kelsey has a rebuilt roster and an up-tempo offense. The results for the Cardinals, though, have been mixed, thanks to injuries and a tough early schedule. All four of the teams that have defeated the Cardinals are currently ranked in the top 20 of the Associated Press poll.
Part of the struggle has been the team’s inconsistency from the outside. The Cardinals, on average, shoot more 3-pointers than 2-pointers. However, while they are seventh nationally in putting up 31.8 treys per game, Kelsey’s team is converting at just 27 percent (86 of 318), which is 344th in Division I.
Kelsey, though, remains adamant that the outside shot will still be a key part of the offense. That said, the offense can also create opportunities for drives and high-percentage shots down low. Louisville is shooting nearly 60 percent inside.
“That is always first and foremost in our offense,” Kelsey said after the Cardinals’ 77-74 victory over visiting UTEP on Wednesday. “It’s play downhill, play on the attack, get to the free throw line.”
Louisville won Wednesday despite shooting just 39.7 percent from the field and allowing the Miners to connect on 50.9 percent of their shots. The key to victory was making 25 of 34 free throws, while UTEP went just 7-for-11 from the line.
Both teams have had to overcome injuries. Kentucky was without its best point guards Wednesday. Lamont Butler (12.9 points, 3.9 assists per game) missed his second game due to an ankle injury. Kerr Kriisa (4.4 ppg, 3.8 apg), who fractured his foot against Gonzaga, is not expected to return until next month.
Butler could return to action this weekend. Pope told reporters after Wednesday’s 78-67 win over Colgate that Butler was on the court some earlier in the day.
“It’s kind of a throw it out there (Wednesday) and see what we end up with when he wakes up,” he said. “We will know a little bit more, and I would prefer he rejoins our team on the floor sometime soon.”
Louisville has lost Kasean Pryor (12.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg) and Koren Johnson (3.0 ppg, 2.5 apg), two of its rotation players, for the season, and another key player, Aboubacar Traore (5.0 rpg), is still recovering from a broken arm that will sideline him for a few more weeks.
Point guard Chucky Hepburn leads the Cardinals, averaging 14.1 points and 4.8 assists per game. His 3.2 steals per game ranks second nationally. Guard Terrence Edwards Jr. averages 12.9 points. However, he has been a reserve for the past two games and scored 21 and 22 points, respectively.
–Field Level Media
