In a highly anticipated match-up, the No. 9 Kentucky Wildcats will be facing off against the Louisville Cardinals at the KFC Yum! Center on Thursday. Kentucky is coming off an impressive 87-83 victory against North Carolina, with their talented freshman class leading the charge.
Leading the scoring for Kentucky this season is Antonio Reeves, averaging 17.1 points per game. Rob Dillingham follows closely behind with 14.4 points per game, while fellow freshmen Reed Sheppard and D.J. Wagner contribute 12.8 points per contest. Tre Mitchell has been a solid performer with 12.7 points and a team-high 6.2 rebounds per game. Aaron Bradshaw has also been making an impact, averaging 10.7 points over the three games he has played.
Kentucky has had the upper hand in recent meetings with Louisville, winning four of their last five encounters and eight out of the last ten. Overall, Kentucky holds a 38-17 record in the series, and the Wildcats have emerged victorious in 13 out of the 23 games played in Louisville.
In last year’s clash at Rupp Arena, Kentucky dominated with Oscar Tshiebwe tallying 24 points and 14 rebounds, and Jacob Toppin adding another 24 points in their 86-63 triumph over Louisville. Cason Wallace also contributed with 17 points to secure the win for the Cats.
Under the guidance of former UK assistant coach Kenny Payne, the Louisville Cardinals currently stand at 5-6 for the season. Their most recent victory came against Pepperdine with a convincing 85-63 scoreline. Skyy Clark has been a standout performer for the Cardinals, leading the team in scoring with 15.4 points per game, while Tre White adds an average of 12.8 points per outing.
Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET, and fans can catch all the action on ESPN. This will undoubtedly be a thrilling contest between two fierce intrastate rivals.
