UK

UK defeats U of L 78-70 in OT: Their 2019-20 Regular Season Game is in the Books

/ Dan Martin / Leave a comment

The Pressure was on Kentucky Entering this Game

The #3 University of Louisville Cardinals traveled 70 miles east to play the #19 University of Kentucky in their annual rivalry game.  Both teams have spent time ranked #1 during this season.  Kentucky entered the game with most of the pressure.  UK lost two straight games prior to today’s clash.  Three-game losing streaks are not common at Kentucky, and losing to an in-state rival to cap a three-game skid was a bad but realistic prospect.

Kentucky has also dominated their rivalry with U of L since John Calipari became head coach.  Calipari was 10-2 versus Louisville as UK’s head coach prior to today having won all 5 previous games in Lexington.  Calipari also has wins over U of L in an NCAA Final Four game in New Orleans in 2012, an NCAA Sweet 16 game in Indianapolis in 2014, and 3 of 5 games at Louisville’s YUM! Center.  One would think that UK being 10-2 over 10-years versus a rival would keep pressure off of John Calipari and his players, but U of L’s Chris Mack is only in his second season at U of L.

Chris Mack winning in Lexington would level his series with UK at 1-1 and send a message that U of L had changed the course of the rivalry.  Chris Mack inherited a depleted roster last season.  Jordan Nwora and Steven Enoch removing their names from the NBA draft spearhead a roster full of players with a full season of Chris Mack’s coaching under their belts.  U of L also signed six freshmen.  Physically, this Louisville team matched up much better with Kentucky than last season’s U of L squad.  Of course, UK lost P. J. Washington and Tyler Herro to the NBA from their 2018-19 roster as well.  In 2019-20, Kentucky lacked some of Louisville’s bulk in the paint, but UK’s long arms and quick guards were likely to bother Louisville’s perimeter players.

How 40 Minutes Played Out

The game was fairly even until late in the first half when Kentucky pushed their lead to 8.  In the second half, Kentucky expanded its lead to 12 until Nick Richards received his 3rd foul.  Without Richards, who is listed at 6’11” 247 lbs., Louisville’s frontcourt turned the game in U of L’s favor.  Richards returned and nearly immediately picked up his 4th foul.  Louisville was able to tie and take several small leads during the remainder of regulation.  With the game tied late, Kentucky’s Tyrese Maxey missed a shot and Keion Brooks’ had a tip-in rim out at the buzzer.  Kentucky and Louisville were headed toward their first overtime game since their 1983 Elite 8 clash.

Overtime for the First Time Since 1983

Overtime saw many momentum swings.  Kentucky missed a three-pointer but seemingly had an offensive rebound that it lost.  Louisville took full advantage and hit a 3 to break a tie at 2:22 remaining.  U of L led 68-65.  Nick Richards scored and hit a free-throw to level the game.  Kentucky and Louisville traded baskets from their centers as Richards put UK ahead 70-68 while Enoch answered to level the game at 70 with 47 seconds remaining.  Nick Richards drew a foul and hit two free throws to put UK ahead 72-70 with 28 seconds remaining.  Immanuel Quickley got a defensive rebound and was fouled.  Quickley hit two free throws to put UK up 4 with 17 seconds remaining.  UK forced two turnovers in the final seconds resulting in two free throws from Tyrese Maxey and a dunk from Ashton Hagans leading to an 8-point margin for victory.

The Historical Status of the Rivalry

  • UK improved to 28-13 in their modern rivalry with U of L
    • UK is 25-12 in Regular Season Games in the modern rivalry and 3-1 in NCAA tournament games vs. U of L in the modern rivalry
  • John Calipari moved to 11-2 versus U of L and Chris Mack is now 0-2 versus UK
  • UK improved to 16-4 at Rupp Arena versus U of L

Top Performers

  • Nick Richards – The Kentucky big man put up 13 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and played good defense against Louisville’s impressive frontline.
  • Steven Enoch – The Louisville big man put up 18 points and grabbed 5 rebounds.  His ability to shoot jumpers could make him a lot of money at the next level.
  • Tyrese Maxey – The first-year player scored 27 points in part by hitting 4 of 5 threes and 5 of 6 free throws.  He also grabbed 7 rebounds and played 40 of 45 minutes.
  • Lamar “Fresh” Kimble – The graduate-transfer had his breakout game at Louisville.  Kimble hit 2 of 3 three-pointers, scored 12 points, dished out 4 assists, made two steals, and committed zero turnovers.
  • Immanuel Quickley – He played 37-minutes off of the bench, scored 18 points, hit 8 of 8 free throws, and played great defense for UK.

    A Word on Officiating

    The game was officiated in a fairly uneven manner.  Nick Richards’ 3rd and 4th fouls were questionable.  The idea that Richards committed no fouls in the remainder of the 2nd half and overtime is dubious.  John Calipari was called for a technical foul due to being outside of the coach’s box.  I think both UK and U of L’s teams and fans could be mystified by how this game was officiated. U of L in each half reached the bonus fairly quickly only to see foul totals move toward equilibrium by the end of each half.  Referees are not perfect people, but this game should have received a more consistent whistle.