Louisville ended its non-conference season on Saturday with an 86-63 loss on the road at Kentucky. Kentucky improved to 9-4 with just its second win over a power-conference opponent. It is UK’s first win in the series since 2019.
Final: Kentucky 86, Louisville 63#GoCards
— Louisville Men's Basketball (@LouisvilleMBB) December 31, 2022
El Ellis led Louisville with 23 points, 3 assists, and 4 steals. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield was the only other double-digit scorer with 10 points and 4 rebounds. Kamari Lands added 9 points and 3 boards for the Cards.
For Kentucky, Jacob Toppin scored a career-high 24 points with 7 rebounds. Oscar Tshiebwe posted a double-double with 24 points and 14 rebounds. Cason Wallace had 17 points and 6 boards.
Full Box Score:
Highlights:
Any notion that John Calipari would take it easy on Kenny Payne was quickly squashed Saturday. Kentucky raced out to a double-digit lead early in the first half and did not let up. Louisville did cut a 15-point halftime deficit to 8 early in the second half, but was unable to keep it closer than that. Cal kept his starters in the entire game as UK pulled away for a 23-point win.
This game probably saw more positive moments from Louisville than in any of its other blowout losses this season. A couple stretches in particular stand out, but the overall performance still left a lot to be desired. El Ellis has been great all season and was excellent on Saturday, but it is time for someone else to step up and match Ellis’ effort on a nightly basis. Others have shown flashes, but no one else has been able to consistently give us reasons to be excited about this team moving forward.
Despite any positives that can be taken from this game, Louisville is still 2-12 and just lost its biggest game of the regular season by 23 points. That does not feel good no matter how bad you’ve been all year.
Press Conference:
Up Next:
Louisvilles heads back home for a Tuesday night matchup with Syracuse on January 3 at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
