In the latest edition of the Kentucky-Louisville men’s basketball rivalry, the No. 5 Wildcats came out on top this year, notching a 93-85 victory in a match that took a feisty turn.
Louisville was down by as many as 11 points in the first half, but surged to a potential comeback in the second. However, Kentucky was able to hold off the upset with the help of senior transfer Lamont Butler, who put up a career-high 33 points for the Wildcats after going 10-for-10 from the field.
The game was chippy, with Louisville racking up 20 fouls and Kentucky racking up 18. Two Cardinals fouled out of the matchup, with James Scott reaching five fouls relatively early in the second half, and Chucky Hepburn following him to the bench in the final seconds of the game.
Things came to a head in the final minutes of the second half, when Cardinals guard Reyne Smith dove for the offensive rebound. Wildcats forward Brandon Garrison made contact with Smith’s head, prompting both teams to gather toward the Louisville bench.
Both teams came out of the encounter relatively unscathed: Garrison picked up a foul, which was not elevated to a flagrant after review. The game continued on, and Kentucky pulled further out of Louisville’s reach.
Kentucky guard Otega Oweh hit two huge exclamation points on the win, getting a steal-and-dunk and a huge 3-pointer within a minute. After a handful of free throws from Oweh and Butler, Oweh also notched the steal that sealed the win.
With the victory, Kentucky is now 10-1. The Wildcats have beaten Louisville 12 times in the past 15 seasons, including the past three years straight.