Kentucky vs. Louisville: Best games from the last decade of the rivalry

1. (1) #1 Kentucky 69, (4) #17 Louisville 61 (March 31, 2012)

Implication-wise, what could possibly top a Final Four game between these two bitter rivals? Kentucky had already won the regular season match-up in an exciting game. In fact, the Wildcat’s had just two losses in the 2011-12 season, including the famous Watford buzzer beater at Indiana. While Kentucky coasted as a 1-seed, Louisville had a somewhat tougher road, losing eight of their Big East games, and marching to New Orleans as a 4-seed, knocking off top seed Michigan State (by 13) along the way. These were two very formidable teams, and the game did not disappoint.

Kentucky got off to a hot start, taking a 10-4 lead before the first media timeout and eventually building a 35-28 halftime advantage. Louisville looked out of the game, down 12 early into the second before a 15-3 run tied them with their bitter rivals. In the end, it was the Wildcat’s ability to pull away and maintain their lead. Anthony Davis was the star of the show as per usual, putting up 18 points with 12 rebounds. Darius Miller added 13 points off the bench and the Wildcats had enough firepower to push onto the title game. Peyton Siva led the Cardinals with 11 points, but Louisville needed to fare better than 34% from the field to win this game.

Two days later, Kentucky would knock off Kansas and win the national championship, the first for John Calipari. It wasn’t all bad for Louisville, as the surprise Final Four team would fare even better in 2013, winning the national championship over Michigan, giving Rick Pitino a national championship win at both rival schools.

All in all, it’s hard for any rivalry to top a win in a Final Four game, though 2012 is already ancient history. Pitino may be gone, but Calipari still has Kentucky contending each and every year, and this year’s edition of UK-Louisville will just be the latest in a series of exciting match-ups between two very solid programs.