Louisville, Ky. – The Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball team is gearing up for their final game of 2023, a highly anticipated rivalry matchup against the No. 9 Kentucky Wildcats. The game is set to tip-off at 6 p.m. ET on Thursday at the KFC Yum! Center and will be televised nationally on ESPN.
Both teams are coming off impressive victories in their most recent outings. Louisville dominated Pepperdine with an 85-63 win, putting an end to their three-game losing streak. Kentucky, on the other hand, narrowly defeated North Carolina with an 87-83 victory in a top-25 neutral-site contest.
While Louisville has historically struggled against Kentucky, boasting a 17-38 all-time record, they are looking to turn the tides in this upcoming matchup. The Wildcats have emerged victorious in 12 of the last 15 meetings between the two teams. It’s worth noting that Louisville has not hosted the series since 2020, and the last time Kentucky visited the KFC Yum! Center without attendance restrictions was in 2018.
The stage is set for an intense battle between these two fierce rivals. Louisville head coach Kenny Payne, who spent a decade as an assistant coach and associate head coach at Kentucky, will face his former team once again. Payne played an integral part in the success of the Wildcats, helping them reach six NCAA Elite Eights and four Final Fours, including a national championship win in 2012.
Adding to the family connections in this game, Payne’s son, Zan Payne, is a graduate senior guard/forward for Louisville. Zan previously spent four seasons at Kentucky before joining the Cardinals. On the other side, Kentucky freshman guard D.J. Wagner is the grandson of Louisville’s Director of Player Development and Alumni Relations, Milt Wagner. D.J.’s father, Dajuan, played for Coach Calipari at the University of Memphis.
This matchup against Kentucky will mark the second time this season that Louisville has faced a ranked opponent, the first being No. 19 Texas. Over the last 14 years, the Cardinals have compiled a 62-77 record against top-25 teams, including 23 wins out of their last 58 games against top-10 opponents.
Key players for Louisville in their recent games have been junior forward Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, averaging 20 points and 11.5 rebounds over the last two games, and sophomore guard Skyy Clark, who has been a consistent scoring threat with an average of 17 points per game. Freshman guard Ty-Laur Johnson has also shown improvement, recording 33 assists compared to just 16 turnovers over the last eight games.
Defensively, the Cardinals have made significant strides, limiting their opponents’ three-point shooting to just 23.4% over the past nine games. They currently rank 34th in the nation in three-point defense, holding teams to 28.7%.
In their most recent meeting last year, Kentucky emerged victorious with an 86-63 win over Louisville. The Cardinals struggled to contain the Wildcats’ Oscar Tshiebwe and Jacob Toppin, who combined for 48 points and 21 rebounds. Louisville senior guard El Ellis had an impressive outing with 23 points and four steals, but the team struggled to compete with Kentucky’s shooting efficiency and rebounding dominance.
With the rivalry between these two teams reaching new heights, the stage is set for an intense and fiercely contested matchup. Louisville will look to avenge their previous loss and end the year on a high note, while Kentucky aims to extend their dominance over their heated rivals. Basketball fans across the nation will be glued to their screens, eagerly awaiting the outcome of this highly anticipated clash.
