Nick Richards becomes a UK folk hero as John Calipari extends his mastery over U of L
READ MORE
Game day: Kentucky beats Louisville in OT
Click here to read all of the Lexington Herald-Leader’s coverage from Saturday’s 78-70 University of Kentucky men’s basketball overtime victory over Louisville in Rupp Arena.
Expand All
Instant analysis from No. 19 Kentucky’s 78-70 overtime win over No. 3 Louisville:
How the game was won
Kentucky center Nick Richards scored seven straight points in overtime as UK rallied from down three to win its 11th in the past 13 meetings with archrival Louisville.
Who’s hot
1. Nick Richards. The oft-maligned Kentucky junior big man (13 points, 10 rebounds) entered his name forever in Wildcats lore with a clutch performance people will long talk about.
2. Tyrese Maxey. Continuing a long line of UK freshmen stars torching Louisville, the Texan had 27 points and seven rebounds vs. the Cards.
3. UK defenders on Jordan Nwora. Kentucky’s defense, primarily Immanuel Quickley and Keion Brooks, hounded the U of L star into a horrid 2-of-10 shooting performance.
4. John Calipari. Now 11-2 as Kentucky coach vs. Louisville. For a UK coach, that keeps the job approval up.
5. Louisville fifth-year seniors. The veteran trio of Steven Enoch (18 points), Dwayne Sutton (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Lamarr “Fresh” Kimble (12 points, four assists) came agonizingly close to giving U of L a victory its fan base much craves.
Who’s not
1. Jordan Nwora. The Louisville star had a Rupp Arena nightmare (2-of-10 shooting, 1-of-6 treys, three turnovers.
2. Louisville foul shooting. Going 9-of-20 from the foul line in an overtime loss is a killer.
3. U of L fans. Are getting the “rivalry experience” vs. UK that Kentucky football backers experience vs. Tennessee.
4. EJ Montgomery. Consistent performance continues to elude the Kentucky sophomore power forward (four points, five rebounds).
Key number(s)
28 and 13. With the victory, Kentucky now has a 28-13 record against Louisville since the modern UK-U of L rivalry resumed in the 1983 NCAA Tournament.
The ‘Cat-mosphere’
1. Former Kentucky Coach Joe B. Hall and ex-Louisville head man Denny Crum — the former co-hosts of the “Joe B. and Denny Show” on radio sports talk — were seated together on the front row, in Hall’s normal Rupp Arena seats.
The duo were introduced to the crowd at halftime to warm applause.
2. Former Kentucky center Isaac Humphries sang a rollicking version of the national anthem.
3. Actor Bill Murray, the father of U of L assistant coach Luke Murray, was in Rupp Arena.
4. Former UK star — and Louisville native — Derek Anderson was “the Y.”
Up next
▪ No. 19 Kentucky (9-3) will open SEC play Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, against Missouri (7-4) at Rupp Arena. The game will tip off at 2 p.m. and be telecast by the SEC Network. Coach Cuonzo Martin’s Tigers have won three in a row, including wins at Temple and over Illinois on a neutral court. Mizzou will play Chicago State on Monday night at home before coming to Lexington.
▪ No. 3 Louisville (11-2) will open ACC play Saturday, Jan., 4, against Florida State (11-2) at the KFC Yum Center. The game will also tip off at 2 p.m. and will be telecast by either ESPN2 or ESPNU. Coach Leonard Hamilton’s Seminoles beat North Alabama 88-71 Saturday. FSU will face Georgia Tech at noon on New Year’s Eve before coming to The Ville.
This story was originally published December 28, 2019 at 6:38 PM.
