In the latest edition of the Kentucky-Louisville men’s basketball rivalry this year, the No. 5 Wildcats came out on top with a 93-85 victory in a game that took a fast-paced turn.
Louisville trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half, but rallied in the second. But Kentucky was able to hold off the upset with the help of senior transfer Lamont Butler, who scored a career-high 33 points for the Wildcats.
The game was tight, with Louisville picking up 20 fouls and Kentucky picking up 18. Two Cardinals fouled out of the game, with James Scott picking up five fouls relatively early in the second half and Chucky Hepburn following him to the bench in the final seconds. games.
Things came to a head in the final minutes of the second half when Cardinals guard Reyne Smith jumped in for an offensive rebound. Wildcats forward Brandon Garrison touched Smith’s head, prompting both teams to rally toward the Louisville bench.
Both teams emerged from the encounter relatively unscathed: Garrison recorded a foul that was not raised to a flagrant upon review. The game continued and Kentucky pulled further out of Louisville’s reach.
Kentucky guard Otega Oweh hit two huge exclamation points for the win, getting a steal and dunk and a huge 3-pointer within a minute. After a couple of free throws from Oweh and Butler, Oweh also had a steal to seal the victory.
Kentucky is now 10-1 with the win. The Wildcats have beaten Louisville 12 times in the last 15 seasons, including the last three years in a row.