This Cats-Cards rivalry game goes to UK with Herro’s 24 points leading the way

Accentuating the positive, Kentucky Coach John Calipari likes to boil games down not to winning or losing. His bottom-line options were winning or learning.

UK’s 71-58 victory at Louisville on Saturday offered a variation on the theme: Winning AND learning.

With Tyler Herro scoring a career-high 24 points, Kentucky played arguably its most complete game of the young season.

Keldon Johnson added 15 and Ashton Hagans 11, which meant the freshman trio accounted for 50 of UK’s points.

Of course, this came at a good time. Or as relative neophyte Reid Travis said of the unblinking in-state rivalry, “People say it’s the one game on the calendar you can’t lose.”

Kentucky (10-2) took the lead for good with 13:37 remaining in the first half.

The Cats looked more cohesive on offense.

As for defense, UK held Louisville to a season-low point total. The previous low came in a 68-67 loss at Indiana.

Herro continued a recent hot streak from three-point range. He made four of six shots from beyond the arc. In UK’s previous two games, he had made five of 14 threes.

Kentucky led 35-27 at halftime, but probably left the floor thinking the margin should have been greater.

As with the North Carolina game a week earlier, Kentucky played inspired defense. Plus, the Cats met John Calipari’s goal of fewer turnovers. UK turned the ball over only two times in the first 15 minutes.

This combination of all-around play propelled Kentucky to a 31-17 lead with 6:06 left. A post-up basket by PJ Washington capped a 15-2 run that gave the Cats a 14-point lead.

At that point, Louisville had not made a basket in almost seven minutes. UK fans sprinkled in the crowd began a “Go Big Blue” chant, which U of L fans booed lustily.

A change of fortunes marked play down the stretch.

Herro, who led all scorers with 14 points in the first half, took an unnecessary three-point shot in the final seconds with UK ahead 35-25 and the shot clock turned off.

Perhaps fueled by what Calipari has called “beer muscles,” Herro missed.

Louisville had just enough time to race down the court and get a fast-break dunk by Jordan Nwora. Herro nearly compounded his mistake in judgment by contesting Nwora’s dunk. Fortunately for UK, no foul was called. It was U of L’s only fast-break points of the first half.

But the sequence gave Kentucky something to discuss at halftime.

Kentucky took the initiative early in the second half. The Cats repeatedly got 50/50 balls, and there were plenty of them with Louisville making only three of its first 17 second-half shots.

Two pretty passes by Washington netted baskets, the second a fast-break dunk by Johnson that put UK ahead 47-35 with 13:02 left.

UK’s foul trouble helped U of L remain within striking distance. Hagans, Travis and EJ Montgomery all picked up their third fouls inside the first 10 minutes of the second half. Louisville first shot the one-and-one with 8:44 left.

This story was originally published December 29, 2018 at 4:11 PM.