Rivalry Renewed: The 50th Anniversary
It was a battle for bragging rights in the bluegrass state as fans were treated to a nail biting thriller between two of college basketball's best, the No. 10 Louisville Cardinals and No. 6 Kentucky Wildcats. Already in the holiday spirit, the KFC Yum! Center was a cardinal red madhouse, sprinkled with a sizable amount of blue in the stands, filled to its capacity. The wait was finally over, as both teams took the court, prepared to write the next chapter of a historically bitter clash. Regarded as one of the sport's fiercest rivalries, both programs lived up to the hype, exceeding expectations in Louisville.
Led by freshman guard Malik Monk, the favored Wildcats rolled into Louisville with a typical Kentucky swagger, fresh off an impressive 103 - 100 win over North Carolina. Fellow Wildcat freshman phenoms and projected first-rounders DeAaron fox and Edrice "Bam" Adebayo, were ready to showcase their talents before 25 NBA scouts. In addition, Louisville played host to Cardinal recruit Malik Williams along with three prized guards in Luguentz Dort, Courtney Ramey, and Romeo Langford of the 2018 class. If that wasn't enough, Heisman trophy winner Lamar Jackson was also in attendance.
The quick and electric Fox came to play, leading the Wildcats with 21 points. Adebayo added 11 along with nine rebounds including three powerful momentum-shifting dunks.
Monk was held in check, scoring below half of his previous 47 with 16 points. He was one for nine, shooting an abysmal 11% from beyond the ark. But Monk came up big when coach Cal needed him most, draining his lone three from distance with ten seconds and change left in regulation. Nevertheless, Monk's heroics emerged too late.
Kentucky looked rattled, and at times out of sync. Arguably coach John Calipari's most prized freshman recruiting class was exposed under the bright lights, proving that they were not yet ready for the big stage.
"The biggest thing tonight is we didn't have discipline," Calipari said. "If we don't become more of a disciplined team, then we're just okay. It's a great win for them. They'll have a better Christmas than us. "
Sure, Louisville will have a better Christmas, but there is plenty of time for the Wildcats to bounce back, soon to be ringing in the new year with discipline.
Four Cardinal starters combined to score 67 of Louisville's 73 points, led by the hometown hero, six-foot-two junior guard Quentin Snider. He scored a career high 22 points accompanied by six rebounds and five assists. Forwards Deng Adel with 18, and Jaylen Johnson with 14 points, added six rebounds apiece, while guard Donovan Mitchell poured in 13 points of his own. The Cardinals proved to be too much for Kentucky, imposing their will on the Wildcats in all aspects, taking advantage of every opportunity.
Louisville did not only best Kentucky. A legendary college basketball mind in Rick Pitino out coached another in John Calipari. Pitino shared his thoughts on the hard-fought contest that resulted in a Cardinal victory.
"You gotta really really enjoy it," Petino said. "They did tonight. They had a lot of fun tonight. They enjoyed it."
