Three reasons the Kentucky Wildcats will lose to the Louisville Cardinals

If these things happen Kentucky will fall to the Louisville Cardinals.

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope yells to his team as they face Alabama during the first half of a Southeastern Conference tournament quarterfinal game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, March 14, 2025. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the Kentucky vs. Louisville rivalry game coming up on Tuesday night, both fan bases seem very confident that they are going to win this game. Frankly, both fan bases are correct to feel this way, knowing this basketball game could truly go either way.

The Cardinals have played lights out in their two games so far this season, and Kentucky is coming off an incredible performance in the win over Valparaiso.

Both teams are coming into this game with a ton of confidence and a ton of belief that they are going to come out with the win. As there should be in any good rivalry, there has been a ton of trash talk between these two teams ahead of the game.

We already wrote about three reasons why the Kentucky Wildcats will win this game, so let's take a look at three reasons why the Louisville Cardinals will win.

Three reasons Louisville will take down the Kentucky Wildcats

Cards can't miss from three

Louisville Cardinals guard Kobe Rodgers (11) during the Cards' 104-45 win over South Carolina State at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky Monday night, Nov. 3, 2025. | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This Louisville team loves to shoot the three-ball. Through two games, they are shooting 32.5 three-point shots per game, so Kentucky needs to be ready to defend the three-point line. Louisville has shooters that will be able to make threes even with a hand in their face, so Kentucky needs to be ready to defend as closely as they can. If the Cards get hot from deep, they will probably win this game.

Mikel Brown Jr. goes off

Louisville Cardinals guard Mikel Brown Jr. (0) drives by Bucknell Bison guard Jayden Williams (2) during an exhibition game at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky Tuesday October 28, 2025. | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The star freshman for the Louisville Cardinals is Mikel Brown Jr., and he will more than likely be going in the lottery this year. Brown Jr., through two games, is averaging 14.5 points per game. He is a star in the making, and Kentucky needs to make sure this game is not his breakout game. Brown Jr. is turning the ball over 4.5 times per game, so Kentucky needs to pressure the freshman.

Kentucky's offense goes dormant

Oct 24, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) celebrates during the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

While Kentucky is coming off a game against Valpo where its offense looked great, the Wildcats have seen the offense go dormant at times early into the season. Louisville has a high-powered offense, and if Kentucky is not scoring, they won't win, even with their elite defense. The Wildcats need to make some shots from deep if they want to pull off the win in the KFC Yum Center. If the Wildcats' offense vanishes, so will their chances of winning this rivalry matchup.