rivalry

The Cardinals had an impressive showing in multiple events, sweeping their opponents in several disciplines. Ilia Sibirtsev led the way in the distance events, while Denis Petrashov dominated the breaststroke. Lindsay Gizzi excelled in diving, Gabi Albiero showcased her skills in the butterfly, and Christiana Regenauer sprinted her way to victory. The Cardinals also won all four relays, with impressive performances from Ella Welch, Gabi Albiero, Dalton Lowe, Denis Petrashov, and Matias Santiso.

Kentucky comes into the competition with an 8-1 record, following wins over Army and Nebraska last week. The team has been performing consistently well this season, with average scores of 2342.9 in smallbore and 2380.4 in air rifle, resulting in an average aggregate score of 4723.3.

The Cardinals are coming off a strong performance in their last meet, the Ohio State Invitational, where they finished third in both the men’s and women’s competitions. Ohio State took first place in the women’s competition, followed by Indiana in second and Louisville in third. On the men’s side, Indiana claimed the top spot, with Ohio State in second and the Cardinals in third.

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.

In fact, over the past six seasons, the Cardinals have only lost two games in December and have won their last eight games in the month dating back to last season. Against nonconference opponents, Louisville has an impressive record of 183-34 in regular season play under Walz. Their dominance extends further, as they have an 85-11 record in non-conference play over the past eight years.

The game began with a tight first half, featuring five lead changes and six ties. Going into the second half, Louisville held a narrow one-point lead. However, in the third quarter, Kentucky briefly took the lead by three points. The Cardinals, though, quickly responded with a late 14-2 run, giving them a comfortable nine-point lead.

Louisville enters this clash with momentum on their side, as they are currently riding a four-game winning streak. Their most recent victory was a dominant 80-40 performance against NC A&T on December 3 at home. The Cardinals’ defense once again proved to be formidable, as they secured their 38th consecutive win when holding their opponents to 59 points or less. In fact, Louisville has limited their opponents to 59 points or fewer in five of their nine games this season.

Stoops acknowledged the tough stretch his team has faced, being the only team in the country to play four straight opponents ranked in the top 10. Despite the adversity, the Wildcats were able to pick themselves back up and finish strong. Stoops praised his team’s resilience and their ability to come together as a unit.

The previous sellout game was the Louisville-Notre Dame contest on Oct. 7, which drew the largest crowd in school history with a whopping 59,081 attendees. Now, the Cards will have the opportunity to once again fill the stadium to capacity with the highly anticipated matchup against Kentucky.