Kentucky freshman Rob Dillingham throws down a spectacular slam dunk during Thursday night's action against the Louisville Cardinals. at KFC Yum! Center. (UK Athletics Photo)
By Penny Deatrick
The Kentucky Wildcats made the short trip west on interstate 64 to face their in-state rival Louisville Cardinals on Thursday and the No. 9 Cats arrived fresh off a win over North Carolina on the previous Saturday; confident and aware that this game holds special meaning.
Former UK assistant coach and current U of L head coach Kenny Payne clearly understood the importance of this rivalry to the fans as well as the athletics administration at U of L. Upsetting a top 10 Kentucky team would perhaps slow down the talk surrounding Payne and his future as the coach.
Not surprisingly, the crowd of 17, 293 at KFC Yum! Center included many UK fans. I’d estimate the lower arena at 60/40 Cardinal Red. The upper arena leaning toward Blue. Both teams warmed up with intensity and spirit as expected. It was a picturesque scene as the national anthem played. Players lined up on each end of the court with photographers recording every move. Immediately after the conclusion, Big Blue Nation made their presence known with a huge "Go Big Blue" chant.
Louisville started the game with tough defense and strong drives to the basket. Offensively, Kentucky struggled to find the basket, missing its first five shots. Cards were up 12-11 on Kentucky at the 13:46 media timeout in the first half.
With 8:20 to go in the first half, UK went on a 10-0 run and began separating itself from the Cards. Led by an impressive 22 points from Antonio Reeves on 9 of 10 shooting, including 4 of 4 three-pointers, the Cats led at the half by 20 in a very entertaining and exciting first half of basketball.
Rob Dillingham seemed poised to take over in the second half, scoring three straight buckets to put Kentucky up 68-47. In a recognizable fashion, the offensive tempo seemed to slow down in the second half. One could argue that perhaps UK coach John Caliparii didn’t want to run the score up against his longtime friend, Kenny Payne. The Cats end the game with Kareem Watkins, Joey Hart, Brennan Canada, Grant Darbyshire and Walker Horn, indicating a solid lead and a 95-76 victory for the Wildcats.
Overall, the Cats shot 51.5 percent, 48 percent from the three-point line, and 81.3 percent from the free throw line.
Senior Antonio Reeves hit a game-high 30 points and it was his second 30-point performance at Kentucky, scoring 37 last season at Arkansas. Graduate student Tre Mitchell added 18, Justin Edwards with 13, Rob Dillingham with 12, and Reed Sheppard with 11 points and 11 assists, his first double-double as a Cat. Another impressive distribution of points for this team.
Coach Cal pointed out, “For this team, it could be anybody. We got enough guys. If you have a bad game, just step back and let other guys play more.”
UK freshman Justin Edwards had what Cal described as a “breakthrough” game. In addition to 13 points, Edwards had 7 rebounds and 2 steals in 24 minutes.
Penny’s Thoughts:
1. It’s ALWAYS nice to beat your rival, especially at their House.
2. Cal’s recruiting continues to be very impressive.
3. KFC Yum! Center provides a fun game experience.
4. This team is fun to watch!
Merry Christmas and Go Big Blue!
Penny Deatrick is a staff writer from Louisville.
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