In the latest edition of the Kentucky-Louisville basketball rivalry, the No. 5 Wildcats came out on top this year, with a 93-85 victory in a game that took a spicy turn.
Louisville trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half, but staged a potential comeback in the second half. However, Kentucky was able to pull off the upset with the help of senior transfer Lamont Butler, who posted a career-high 33 points for the Wildcats.
The game was rough, with Louisville making twenty errors and Kentucky eighteen. Two Cardinals fouled during the game, with James Scott committing 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 emerged from the encounter relatively unscathed: Garrison was called for a foul, which was not elevated to flagrant upon review. The game continued and Kentucky moved further out of reach of Louisville.
Kentucky guard Otega Oweh hit two huge shoutouts in 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 scored the steal that sealed the victory.
With the win, Kentucky is now 10-1. The Wildcats have defeated Louisville 12 times in the past 15 seasons, including the past three years in a row.
