In a hard-fought battle at the KFC Yum! Center, the Louisville men’s basketball team fell short against the No. 9 ranked Kentucky Wildcats, losing 95-76. Although the Cardinals put up a strong fight, a challenging 10-minute stretch ultimately proved to be their downfall.
Louisville had a promising start to the game, leading with 11:12 remaining in the first half. They even outscored Kentucky in the second half. However, it was the final minutes of the opening frame that made all the difference.
UofL head coach Kenny Payne acknowledged the strength of their opponent, stating, “First of all, we played a team that is ranked No. 9 but I think they are a lot better than No. 9. The reason they are a lot better than nine is they share the ball, they defend, they have players who pass the ball and can really shoot the ball – probably the best passing team that we have played. They are a machine that keeps coming at you and at you and at you. I thought for the first ten minutes we did a really good job. We affected them some. But as it wore on, we didn’t quite keep it going. We stopped defending the way we should, and we didn’t share the ball like we should have and that led to them making runs.”
After leading 17-16 with 11:12 on the clock, Louisville faced a barrage of attacks from Kentucky. The Wildcats went on a 13-1 run, extending their lead to 31-18 in just three minutes. To make matters worse, Kentucky closed out the first half with a dominant 14-2 run, taking a commanding 53-33 lead into halftime. At one point, their lead even reached 26 with 17:36 left to play.
Kentucky’s impressive shooting performance played a significant role in their victory. They shot 51.5% from the field, drained 12 3-pointers, and racked up 19 assists.
Despite the loss, Louisville had some standout performances. Sophomore guard Skyy Clark led the team with 20 points and five assists, while junior forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield recorded his third consecutive double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Redshirt sophomore guard/forward Mike James added 12 points and six rebounds, and Tre White also reached double figures with 11 points.
On the other side, Antonio Reeves had a stellar game for the Wildcats, scoring a game-high 30 points.
Looking ahead, the Cardinals will take a break for the rest of the year before returning to ACC play against No. 22/20 Virginia on January 3rd. The game will be televised on an ESPN network, with the specifics yet to be determined.
