Louisville vs. Kentucky: 2019-20 college basketball game preview, TV schedule

One of collegiate hoops’ best rivalries resumes on Saturday afternoon when Louisville travels to Lexington to battle Kentucky.

TV schedule: Saturday, December 28, 3:45 pm ET. CBS.
Arena: Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky.

Kentucky, in the midst of a two-affair setback streak, is hosting in-state nemesis Louisville this Saturday afternoon from Rupp Arena. The No. 19 Wildcats (8-3) started off the 2019-20 campaign with a bang, as Kentucky knocked off then-No. 1 Michigan State on a neutral court.

Since then, however, the Wildcats haven’t really defeated any high-quality crews, and Kentucky has fallen at home to Evansville, as well as at a neutral site to Utah and then-No. 5 Ohio State. The Wildcats attained the No. 1 ranking in the Associated Press top-25 poll after upsetting the Spartans, but now Kentucky is hovering toward the end of the national ratings.

The No. 3 Cardinals (11-1), too, achieved the No. 1 spot in the AP top-25 ballot, but that accomplishment went by the wayside when Louisville lost to Texas Tech on Dec. 10 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. So far in 2019-20, the Cardinals own conquests of, among others, then-No. 4 Michigan, Miami, and Pittsburgh.

All-time, the Wildcats are 36-16 versus Louisville, and Kentucky has captured 10 of the last 12 meetings. But, at present, the Wildcats are reeling a tad, and ESPN’s Basketball Power Index says that the Cardinals, despite suiting up on the road, possess a 51.7 percent chance to prevail.

The statistical break-down among these two schools is pretty even. Louisville averages 76.7 points per contest and gives up 58.4 points. For Kentucky, it’s 74.5 points and 61.2 points, respectively.

Shooting-wise, the Cardinals connected on 48.5 percent from the field, 74.7 percent from the charity stripe, and 37.6 percent from beyond the arc. The Wildcats hit on 46.4 percent from the field as a whole, a terrific 78.5 percent from the free-throw line, and a poor 27.8 percent from deep. Both units commit 12.5 turnovers every 40 minutes.

Louisville, at No. 7 in the NCAA NET system, generates 40.5 rebounds, 15.3 assists, 2.8 blocks and 4.9 steals a game. Kentucky, much further below at No. 72 in the NET, puts up 37.5 boards, 15.5 dimes, 4.3 blocks and 5.5 steals per encounter.

While the Wildcats tend to perform well at the famed Rupp Arena, I don’t have a lot of confidence in them at this juncture. The Cardinals are a challenging opponent, and I project that Louisville will get the better of Kentucky in a close-knit clash.

Prediction: Louisville 70 – Kentucky 67