Kentucky was humbled in a disappointing loss to Louisville on Tuesday night. It was the kind of loss that carried some string with it.
The Wildcats got punched in the mouth early and after finally responding with a spirited run, ran out of gas and dropped a 96-88 decision to the rival Cardinals in the third game of the season for both teams. Read that again: Third game of the season. Translation: It’s no time to panic.
Louisville was ready to make a statement and they did. They were the better team without question. Kentucky looked unsure of itself as the Cardinals ran away from them in the first 30 minutes of the game.
So, what did we learn?
Well, the Cats have a lot of work to do, especially on defense, but they showed some fight after falling behind by 20 points with 12:30 remaining. They got so close that NBA star and former Cardinal Donovan Mitchell, who ESPN kept showing in the stands, may have quit looking at his cellphone long enough to see what the hush was about when Kentucky pulled within 88-84 and Jaland Lowe standing on the free throw line.
Lowe missed the front end of the bonus, and the Cats could never get over the hump that was just too big to climb. The game looked like it was headed for embarrassment but it’s still a loss that may temper expectations. Kentucky fans are good at overreacting to wins and (especially) losses.
In a game typically played closer to Christmas than three weeks before Thanksgiving, the Cardinals took it to the Wildcats, especially in the first half. Louisville was the aggressor, and the Cats simply could not stop the ball. The Cardinals scored at will on drives to the baskets and then bombed shooting long 3-pointers that found the bottom of the net with uncanny accuracy.
The tables were turned on the Cats, who pretty much have owned this series since the guy named John Calipari was on the sidelines. Well don’t look now, but the rivalry is back in place. It was not a night for L’s down.
Still, the Wildcats, who trailed by double digits for most of the game, turned a blowout into a respectable final margin. They Cats made it interesting and probably had the Cardinals fans sweating a little when the margin slipped to only four points inside four minutes.
The game’s numbers were fairly even except for one glaring statistic: turnovers.
Louisville had one fewer field goal and one more 3-pointer than Kentucky, but a big difference came in how the ball was handled. The Cardinals committed six turnovers compared to 14 for the Cats. That’s a high number of turnovers even for the third game of the season against a high-caliber foe, which the Cardinals certainly are. The Cats must protect the ball.
Kentucky was sloppy and the Cardinals made them pay with 19 points in transition. Most of those easy baskets came in the first half as the Wildcats struggled with turnovers and an inability to find a rhythm on offense. Louisville was the more physical team. The Cats need to toughen up and be much more challenging on defense.
By the end of the first half, Louisville had scored more points (53) than Nicholls did in a 77-51 loss to the Wildcats and were within six of the 59 Valparaiso scored last Friday in a 48-point setback to Kentucky. But that’s not surprising. Louisville is high caliber and will give anybody in the country fits.
The Cats had no answer for Louisville superstar freshman Mikel Brown Jr. and Ryan Conwell, who combined for 53 points – Brown with 29 and Conwell with 24.
Denzel Aberdeen was a bright spot for Kentucky. The Florida transfer scored a season-high 26 points and made four 3-pointers. While Otega Oweh scored a dozen, he has to be able to consistently hit the shot from the deep corner because there’s going to be a lot of chances coming with Aberdeen and Lowe’s ability to draw defenders on drives. He has to be better at making that shot and be the driving force of the offense.
We also learned that Kentucky can’t afford to play from behind against great opponents – and they have a load of them on the schedule.
The good news is the Wildcats are only three games into the season. It’s not even mid-November and the football season, as it turns out, has some surprising life left in it. So don’t be discouraged. It really is early, and my guess is Kentucky would not mind a rematch with Louisville one bit come March.
It’s better to learn and take a loss now than take one later when it really hurts.
Keith Taylor is sports editor for Kentucky Today, where this column originally appeared.