Who’s Playing

Louisville Cardinals @ Kentucky Wildcats

Current Records: Louisville 6-4, Kentucky 9-1

How To Watch

• When: Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 5:15 p.m. ET
• Where: Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center — Lexington, Kentucky
• TV: ESPN
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
• Ticket Cost: $119.00

What to Know

Louisville has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They are headed away from home for the first time to take on the Kentucky Wildcats at 5:15 p.m. ET on Saturday at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. The Cardinals are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 76.1 points per game this season.

Louisville’s season wasn’t pretty last year but it’s starting to look like struggles are in the rearview. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 77-74 win over UTEP on Wednesday. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Cardinals as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.

Louisville’s success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Terrence Edwards Jr. led the charge by scoring 22 points in addition to two steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Chucky Hepburn, who posted 12 points along with seven assists and five rebounds.

Louisville smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as UTEP only pulled down seven.

Meanwhile, Kentucky earned a 78-67 win over Colgate on Wednesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Wildcats.

Kentucky’s win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Andrew Carr, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and ten rebounds. Amari Williams was another key player, going 6 for 8 en route to 15 points plus eight rebounds.

Louisville’s victory bumped their record up to 6-4. As for Kentucky, they pushed their record up to 9-1 with the win, which was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season.

Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as both are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Louisville hasn’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 76.1 points per game. However, it’s not like Kentucky (currently ranked first) struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 91.1. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.

Louisville is hoping to beat the odds on Saturday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. This will be their first time playing as the underdogs on the road this season.

Odds

Kentucky is a big 10.5-point favorite against Louisville, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 10.5-point spread, and stayed right there.

The oddsmakers are expecting fireworks from the offense and set the over/under at a high 159.5 points.

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Series History

Kentucky has won 6 out of their last 8 games against Louisville.

• Dec 21, 2023 – Kentucky 95 vs. Louisville 76
• Dec 31, 2022 – Kentucky 86 vs. Louisville 63
• Dec 26, 2020 – Louisville 62 vs. Kentucky 59
• Dec 28, 2019 – Kentucky 78 vs. Louisville 70
• Dec 29, 2018 – Kentucky 71 vs. Louisville 58
• Dec 29, 2017 – Kentucky 90 vs. Louisville 61
• Dec 21, 2016 – Louisville 73 vs. Kentucky 70
• Dec 26, 2015 – Kentucky 75 vs. Louisville 73