Louisville Eviscerated by Kentucky in Battle of the Bluegrass

The Cardinals suffer their biggest defeat to their arch-rival since 2017.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Hitting the road for their annual Battle of the Bluegrass showdown against arch-rival Kentucky, the Louisville men's basketball program once again found themselves on the wrong end of a blowout loss, falling 86-63 at Rupp Arena on New Year's Eve.

Moving to 2-12 on the season, the Cardinals suffer their worst defeat to the Wildcats since falling 90-61 on Dec. 29, 2017. It was also their tenth 20-point loss to the 'Cats in the all-time series.

The primary catalyst for the decisive loss was a listless effort on both defense and the backboards. Louisville allowed Kentucky to shoot 60.0 percent for the game despite shooting only 4-for-13 on three-point attempts, and were out-rebounded 33-20, including 15-8 on the offensive glass.

On the other end, the Cardinals shot 46.8 percent from the field and were only 2-for-13 on threes, while committing 15 turnovers to five assists. Meanwhile, the Wildcats had 18 assists to 12 turnovers.

El Ellis led Louisville in scoring with 23 points, but the only other Cardinal that finished in double figures was Brandon Huntley-Hatfield with 10 points. Reigning National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe poured in 24 points and 14 rebounds for Kentucky, while Jacob Toppin matched him in scoring, and Cason Wallace added 17 points.

Louisville dug themselves into a big hole right out of the gate. Over the first seven minutes, the Cardinals shot just 2-of-7 from the field to Kentucky's 9-of-12, while getting out-rebounded 8-to-2 to give the Wildcats an early 18-4 lead just before the second media timeout.

After that, the Cardinals shifted into chip away mode and their effort started to improve. Their offensive was more efficient, as they connected on 11 of their next 19 shots while getting more active on the boards, and they were able to trim their deficit to just eight points with just over six minutes left in the first half.

However, self-inflicted wounds returned to haunt Louisville. They committed six turnovers int he final six and a half minutes, and shot only 3-for-10 during that span, while continuing to let Kentucky dominate the interior to give them a 45-30 advantage at halftime.

Louisville had some serious life to open up the second half, going on a 7-0 run right out of halftime to turn a 15-point deficit into an eight point one in just 88 seconds. That short burst of momentum didn't last long, as Kentucky immediately countered with an 11-2 to take back control of the game.

It only got uglier down the stretch. Louisville's execution at the free throw line is the only thing that kept it from being a 30-point loss, as Kentucky was able lead by as much as 27 before late free throws handed the Cardinals a back-door cover.

Next up, Louisville will resume ACC play and return to the KFC Yum! Center to host Syracuse. Tip-off against the Wildcats is set for Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 7:00 p.m. EST.

(Photo of Sahvir Wheeler, El Ellis: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

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