Louisville Report

How to Watch: Louisville Cardinals vs. Kentucky Wildcats

The Cardinals and Wildcats square off in the annual Battle of the Bluegrass.
Matthew McGavic|
Louisville s Mike James goes in for a shot in the second half against Kentucky. The Wildcats won 95-76 at the KFC Yum! Center on Thursday, December 21, 2023
Louisville s Mike James goes in for a shot in the second half against Kentucky. The Wildcats won 95-76 at the KFC Yum! Center on Thursday, December 21, 2023 | Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Louisville CardinalsKentucky Wildcats

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A new era of the Battle of the Bluegrass is finally here. With both sides led by a pair of first-year head coaches, the Louisville and Kentucky men's basketball program are set to do battle once again.

Most recently, Pat Kelsey and the Cardinals were able to snap a three-game losing streak, holding off UTEP to claim a 77-74 win. Louisville does have a pair of quality wins vs. Indiana and West Virginia in the Battle 4 Atlantis, but are down to just eight healthy scholarship player with the losses of Kasean Pryor and Koren Johnson to season-ending injuries.

As for Mark Pope and the Wildcats, they are off to a very good start to the season. They already sport a pair of wins against teams ranked in the top-ten of the AP Poll, taking down both Duke and Gonzaga on neutral floors, with their only loss being to No. 16 Clemson. They most recently captured a 78-67 win at home over Colgate.

This will be the 57th all-time meeting between Louisville and Kentucky, with the Wildcats owning a 39-17 advantage. The Cardinals are on a two-game losing streak in the series, having not won since capturing a 62-59 victory back on Dec. 26, 2020. UofL has not won against UK in Rupp Arena since an 89-75 win on Jan. 5, 2008, dropping their last seven.

Louisville Cardinals (6-4, 0-1 ACC) at No. 5 Kentucky Wildcats (9-1, 0-0 SEC)

  • Date/Time: Saturday, Dec. 14 at 5:15 p.m. EST
  • Place: Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.
  • TV: ESPN - Play-by-play and analyst TBD.
  • Channel (Louisville)/Live Stream: Spectrum: 31; Dish: 140; DirecTV: 206; fuboTV (link here).
  • Radio (Louisville): 93.9 FM - Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst).

(Photo of Mike James: Michael Clevenger - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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Matthew McGavic
MATTHEW MCGAVIC

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic

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