Louisville, Ky – December 22, 2023 – Matthew Hudson
It’s a great morning for Big Blue nation. Kentucky came into the game versus Louisville still riding high off the big win against North Carolina. As expected, there was a lot of hype around this game even with the seemingly large advantage held by Kentucky.
Big Blue Nation showed up big for this one, even before the game got started it was evident the crowd was evenly split between red and blue. Loud chants of “Go Big Blue!” rang out throughout the game as it seemed more like a home game at times.
Antonio Reeves showed up huge in this one, especially in the 1st half when Kentucky was able to make a big run and grab a 20-point lead at the half. Reeves was 9 of 10 from the floor with 22 pts in the 1st half alone. He finished the game 10 of 16 from the field and 30 points, the most points by a Wildcat since Tony Delk in 1995.
Reed Sheppard was able to make history against the Cardinals as he became the first Wildcat to ever post double digit assists against Louisville. Sheppard finished the game with 11 points, 11 assist, and a +/- of +27.
Louisville came out swinging, 8 minutes into the game they actually had the lead 17-16 over the Wildcats. Kentucky blew it open with multiple runs and the hot shooting of veteran leader Antonio Reeves. The last 10 minutes of the 1st half Kentucky outscored Louisville by 21 points to take a comfortable 20-point lead into the half.
The 2nd half was uneventful when comparing it to the high paced action filled 1st half we had just seen. Both teams came out, settled into their offenses, and proceeded to exchange baskets for the duration of the 2nd half. Coach Cal found some time to get his reserves in the game and was seemingly playing around with different lineups to see which ones had the best chemistry.
The game ended 95-76 but could have been a lot worse had Coach Cal did not take his foot off the gas. The Cats will be off for a few days as they all journey home to be with their families for the holidays. They will return to action on December 29 vs Illinois State. Tip-off will be at 7:00 PM at Rupp Arena, the game will be aired on SECN.
