Kentucky vs. Lousiville is one of those intense college basketball rivalries you never want to miss. There are always several of the nation’s best players occupying spots on both teams, future NBA players seemingly everywhere you look and most importantly, at least one legitimate title contender.
But that’s looking in the past. In the here and now, neither team is impressive.
Kentucky began the season as the No. 4 team in the nation, but has earned an 8-4 record through the first part of this season, which includes losses to unranked teams and zero signature wins to date. With a loss to Missouri earlier in the week, the Wildcats will likely find themselves out of the AP Top 25 when next week’s poll goes live.
Louisville, on the other hand, has been disappointing all season long. The Cardinals didn’t win their first game of the season until the middle of this month vs. Western Kentucky, which ended Louisville’s nine-game losing streak to begin the season. The Cards have only won one more game since then and sit at 2-11 ahead of their Saturday date with UK.
Combined, neither school is having a good season, which waters down this rivalry game significantly. While Kentucky fans are unhappy with the way the season has gone, at least they’re 20+ point favorites in the matchup.
To be fair, records don’t necessarily matter in rivalry games that feature two teams who don’t care for one another — the game should be intense and both fanbases will be into it. However, the outcome of this matchup won’t change the outlook on either team going forward.
Nevertheless, the two rivals will take the floor at Rupp Arena on Saturday morning for a game that Kentucky is heavily favored to win. Will Kenny Payne’s Cardinals be able to pull off the upset of John Calipari’s Wildcats?
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