Bragging rights belong to Louisville after win over Kentucky
Maybe if both teams were vying for the national title in April, or maybe if they were both ranked inside the top 5. Or maybe if both teams were undefeated, this game would have lived up to the ‘Dream Game’ it was being called as. But despite the up-and-down year Louisville has had and a year in which Kentucky may very well miss the tournament altogether, Rick Pitino surely will take the victory in his old stomping ground.
Louisville ended a three-game skid against in-state rival Kentucky on Saturday afternoon with an 89-75 victory. The Cardinals (10-4, 0-1) turned in one of their best defensive efforts all season, forcing the Wildcats into 22 turnovers and holding freshman Patrick Patterson to just six points on 3-of-14 shooting. Senior Juan Palacios led Louisville with 17 points, six rebounds and four assists. Jerry Smith also had 17 points and Terrence Williams added 15 points and six rebounds for the Cardinals. In all, Louisville had five players score in double figures.
It was a complete team effort for Louisville, the kind of effort you always hope for as a head coach and certainly Rick Pitino had to enjoy the effort his squad put forth. Everyone contributed, everybody in white and red was ready to play, and Kentucky just never got close to the same effort and intensity Louisville played with. It also helps that Palacios was huge on this afternoon, putting the offense on his back and doing it all for the Cardinals.
For Kentucky, they fall to 6-7 on the year and it’s been a forgettable 13 games so far. They’ve lost to San Diego at home and now to one of their biggest rivals. And who can forget the stunning loss to Gardener-Webb. Ramel Bradley poured in a game-high 27 points and Joe Crawford added 19 points. Louisville’s defense limited Kentucky to just 41 percent shooting from the field.
Trailing 31-30 at halftime, the Cardinals came out smoking with an 8-0 run that shell-shocked Kentucky. The Wildcats were on their heels and Louisville could smell it. Kentucky got sloppy with the ball and the Cardinals turned things into a track meet; Louisville responded early in the second half, and Kentucky never met the challenge.
Louisville busted things wide open at 62-40 and the rout was on. Kentucky rallied with about 90 seconds to play, cutting the lead to 10, but it was too little too late for the Wildcats. Louisville sealed things in the final minute with free throws to put Kentucky on ice.
Louisville will seek out their win in conference play on Thursday night when they host West Virginia at 7 p.m.
Tags: Big East Basketball, Kentucky Wildcats, louisville cardinals, NCAA Men's basketball