By: Casey Madison (X/BleedBlueCasey)
Louisville hadn’t beaten Kentucky 1,761 days until tonight. The Cardinals outlasted No. 9 Kentucky 96–88 at the KFC Yum! Center, snapping the streak with elite guard play and 19 points off of the Wildcats turnovers.
Kentucky never led after the 11-minute mark of the first half and trailed by as many as 20 with 10 minutes left in the second. A late rally trimmed their lead to single digits, but Louisville’s backcourt of Mikel Brown Jr. and Ryan Conwell prevented any comeback down the stretch.
Three Risers
1. Denzel Aberdeen
26 PTS (10/20 FG, 4/10 3PT, 2/3 FT), 7 REB, 3 AST
Aberdeen was the only reason Kentucky managed to stay in the game. He played efficiently, and created his own offense on many of his shots inside the paint and hit his final field goal of the night with 1:25 left.
Even in the loss, this performance proves that Denzel Aberdeen can be the primary bucket getter when the team is struggling.
The senior guard is currently averaging 16 points per game on 53/38/90 shooting splits. Additionally, over the last three games he has totaled 16 rebounds and 11 assists — nothing short of elite.
2. Kam Williams
5 PTS (2/2 FG, 1/1 3PT), 4 REBS
You’re probably wondering why he was considered a riser, but theres actually a good reason for that.
Williams didn’t check into the game until there were ten minutes left in the game. He sparked the 20-point comeback to make the competitive. Quickly checking in, he hit a deep three pointer from the top of the key, then later had a put back he caught out of the air and dunked over a Louisville player. One of the biggest issues tonight was three-point defense. There were multiple times some of the guards like Jasper Johnson were going under screens, quickly getting their hands up. Kam Williams, who has a 7-foot wingspan, was able to slow down Louisvilles three-point defense significantly. Once he checked in around the 12 minute mark, he never came out.
One other nugget i’ll add — Collin Chandler continued to prove he is an elite three-point shooter. He ended 4/7 from three, and had 12 points. If he can keep this consistency, he’s not going to be at Kentucky for much longer.
3. Andrija Jelavic and Malachi Moreno
- Jelavic: 6 PTS (3-3 FG) in 10 minutes
- Moreno: 8 PTS, 5 REB (3-3 FG) in 17 minutes
Kentucky’s bench out-scored Louisville’s 28-24 (as they should with the depth), but they were the reasons this happened. Malachi Moreno scored four points in the opening minutes of the game in the PNR with Jaland Lowe. Yes, there were many other issues with the front court tonight, but
Kentucky’s bench out-scored Louisville’s 28–24, and these two were a big reason why. Jelavic brought instant energy and perfect shooting in limited minutes. Moreno gave physicality and rebounding when the starters struggled to defend the glass.
Its early to tell, but Pope may need to expand their roles if the starters in the front court continue to struggle.
Three Fallers
1. Brandon Garrison
3 PTS (1/2 FG, 1/2 FT), 6 REBS, 1 AST
Brandon Garrison entered the season expected to take a bigger role. Instead, his usage rate is down, and his turnover rate has increased. I’m not going to overreact too much because he hasn’t been bad in the other two games, but his presence was needed tonight against a team that has a very weak front court. Its just something to keep an eye on. Malachi Moreno has been playing exceptionally well, and could very well over take his starting position until Jayden Quaintance is cleared to play again and is healthy.
2. Otega Oweh
12 PTS (4/12 FG, 1/6 3PT, 1/4FT), 5 REBS, 2 AST, 5 FLS, 5 TOS
Yikes — not ideal from a Preseason All-American that is supposed to be one of the best players in College Basketball. While it wasn’t a great performance, you once again cannot judge someone harshly off of one game. Otega Oweh had an injury throughout most of the summer and fall, limiting practice time and still has had minor, lingering issues. The bigger concern appears to be body language. Additionally, not having any shooting at the PF/C limits his ability drastically to get downhill into the paint. In contrast to last year with the likes of Koby Brea, Lamont Butler, Ansley Almonor, Andrew Carr who was a respectable three-point shooter as a power-forward.
3. Perimeter Defense & Turnovers
Louisville’s guards Mikel Brown Jr. (29 pts) and Ryan Conwell (24 pts) repeatedly got downhill or drew contact. Kentucky turned the ball over the ball up 14 times while forcing only six. Whats funny is that the Wildcats actually shot better from the field, but having limited possessions hurts your ability to win. Additionally, 19 of Louisvilles points were scored off of those turnovers.
Final Take
Louisville’s 13-0 run early in the second half hurt the Wildcats, and Kentucky never truly recovered. The comeback at the end was pretty remarkable and could have been something special, but it means nothing if you can’t win or close out the game in the final five minutes.
There were bright spots: Aberdeen’s breakout, Kam Williams playing better, the bench stepping up. Its early in the season.
Kentucky will take on Eastern Illinois on Friday in Rupp Arena looking to bounce back a tough loss to their biggest rival.
