One of college basketball's biggest rivalries adds another episode to the series when Kentucky and Louisville play on Saturday, Dec. 29. Below, find the game time, TV channel and preview information.
While Louisville coach Chris Mack will be coaching in his first Cardinals-Wildcats game, Kentucky coach John Calipari and his team routed Louisville 90-61 last year. This year's game is at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.
Kentucky-Louisville basketball: Time, TV channel
Kentucky and Louisville play at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 29. The game can be watched on ESPN2.
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Kentucky-Louisville: Preview, prediction
Since losing to Duke by 34 points in the first game of the season, Kentucky (9-2) has started to round into form by winning nine of its next 10. Sure, the Wildcats lost to Seton Hall, 84-83, on Dec. 8, but they are coming off an impressive 80-72 win against then-No. 9 North Carolina in Chicago.
The surging Wildcats also have recent series history on their side, as they've defeated the Cardinals in five of the last six games. That includes a win in the Sweet 16 in the 2014 NCAA tournament.
Last year, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 24 points as the 'Cats routed the Cardinals in Lexington, Ky., 90-61. PJ Washington added 16 points.
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In Kentucky's win against North Carolina on Saturday, Washington scored 11 points and added 10 rebounds to complete the double-double.
As for Louisville, Jordan Nwora is the Cardinals' only double-digit scorer at 17.8 points per game. Nwora has also taken 21 percent of Louisville's shots.
The Cardinals (9-3) are certainly battle tested just like the Wildcats. Louisville lost to ranked teams Tennessee, Marquette and Indiana but also defeated ranked Michigan State.
Louisville will be rocking and ready for the 'Cats. But Kentucky might have just enough late to hold off the Cardinals.
Our prediction: Kentucky 80, Louisville 75.
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Kentucky-Louisville: Scores, history
The Wildcats lead the series, which dates back to 1913, at 35-16.
Here are the results since 2010, when the series started to hand out a Game MVP award by The Bluegrass Sports Commission. Note that two games since 2010 were in the NCAA tournament, so there is no BSC MVP.
| Date | Winner | Score | Loser | Site | BSC MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 31, 2010 | No. 11 Kentucky | 78-63 | No. 22 Louisville | Louisville | Josh Harrellson, Kentucky |
| Dec. 31, 2011 | No. 3 Kentucky | 69-62 | No. 4 Louisville | Lexington | Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky |
| March 31, 2012 | No. 1 Kentucky | 69-61 | No. 17 Louisville | New Orleans (Final Four) |
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| Dec. 29, 2012 | No. 4 Louisville | 80-77 | Kentucky | Louisville | Russ Smith, Louisville |
| Dec. 28, 2013 | No. 18 Kentucky | 73-66 | No. 6 Louisville | Lexington | James Young, Kentucky |
| March 28, 2014 | Kentucky | 74-69 | No. 5 Louisville | Indianapolis (Sweet 16) |
|
| Dec. 27, 2014 | No. 1 Kentucky | 58-50 | No. 4 Louisville | Louisville | Tyler Ulis, Kentucky |
| Dec. 26, 2015 | No. 12 Kentucky | 75-73 | No. 16 Louisville | Lexington | Tyler Ulis, Kentucky |
| Dec. 21, 2016 | No. 10 Louisville | 73-70 | No. 6 Kentucky | Louisville | Quentin Snider, Louisville |
| Dec. 29, 2017 | No. 16 Kentucky | 90-61 | Louisville | Lexington | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kentucky |
