Basketball ***** Postgame Notes: UK 93, UofL 85 *****

[Jeff Drummond]

KENTUCKY MEN’S BASKETBALL POSTGAME NOTES
RUPP ARENA AT CENTRAL BANK CENTER | LEXINGTON, KY
DEC 14, 2024
ATTENDANCE: 21,093

Final Score: No. 5 Kentucky 93, Louisville 85

Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky is 10-1 and Louisville is 6-5.
• Kentucky leads the series 40-17 and has won three in a row.
  • UK leads 22-5 in games played in Lexington and has won the last eight meetings in Rupp Arena.
• Mark Pope is 197-109 as head coach, including 10-1 at Kentucky.
• Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats have fall semester examinations this week before traveling to New York City for a Saturday matchup with Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic. Game time is 5:30 p.m. in Madison Square Garden.

Team Notes

• Kentucky is 10-1 for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
• Kentucky tallied 93 points tonight. The Wildcats entered the game leading the nation in scoring at 91.1 points per game.
  • Five Wildcats scored in double figures tonight. It’s the seventh time in 11 games that at least five Cats have hit double digits in scoring.
• Kentucky shot 58.2 percent from the field, the fifth time this season the Wildcats have shot at least 50 percent.
• UK shot a season-high 52.4 percent on 3-pointers, making 11 out of a season-low 21 attempts.
• UK had 23 assists on its 32 made baskets, an assist percentage of 71.9.
  • UK entered the game 11th in the nation in assists with 19.1 per game.
  • Four Wildcats had at least four dishes.
• UK won fast-break points 24-4.
  • The Wildcats entered the game sixth in the nation in fast-break points with 19.2 per game.
• Kentucky won the rebounding tonight, 41-31. UK has won or tied the rebounding in all but one game this season.

Player Notes

• After missing two games because of injury, Lamont Butler made all 10 field-goal attempts – including 6-of-6 on 3-pointers – and poured in a career-high 33 points.
  • It is the most points by a Wildcat this season.
  • It’s the second-most for a Wildcat vs. Louisville, Derrick Miller scored 34 on Dec. 30, 1989.
  • His 10-of-10 shooting tied for the third-best shooting performance in school history.
    • Rodney Dent 12-of-12 vs. Morehead State on Dec. 17, 1993.
    • Kenny Walker 11-of-11 vs. Western Kentucky on March 16, 1986.
    • Justin Edwards 10-of-10 vs. Alabama on Feb. 4, 2024.
  • His 6-of-6 on 3-pointers is the second-best long-range shooting performance in school history. Wenyen Gabriel hit all seven threes he attempted against Alabama on March 10, 2018.
  • His six 3-pointers tied for the most for UK in a game vs. Louisville, also Jeff Brassow on Dec. 29, 1990.
  • In addition to career-high points, he had a career-high six 3-pointers and tied his career-best for field goals made (10).
  • Butler also had a game-high six assists.
  • Since 1996-97, he is the only Division I player to make all of his shots, score at least 33 points and get at least six assists.
• The steady Otega Oweh was second for the Cats in scoring with 17 points and has scored double figures in every game this season.
• Jaxson Robinson had 12 points, his fourth straight game in double figures, and tied his career best for rebounds with eight.
• Andrew Carr had 10 points and led UK with nine rebounds.
• Koby Brea had 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. He has made at least one 3-pointer in every game this season and this was his ninth game with multiples threes.

In the First Half

• Kentucky’s starters were Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson, Otega Oweh, Andrew Carr and Amari Williams. UK has an 8-1 record with this lineup.
• Brandon Garrison and Koby Brea were the first substitutions at 16:04.
• Kentucky made its first five field-goal attempts and two free throws in jumping out to a 14-5 lead, coaxing a Louisville timeout at 16:59.
• Kentucky led by as many as 12 points at 28-16.
• Louisville edged closer as Kentucky went to halftime ahead 46-40. The Wildcats shot 70 percent from the field, including 5 of 7 on 3-pointers, as Butler had 12 points and Robinson had 10.

In the Second Half

• Kentucky began the second half with the starters.
• Butler made three threes early in the half, and following a Garrison dunk to make it 57-47, Louisville called timeout at the 16:32 mark.
• At 59-49, the Cardinals scored seven straight points to narrow the count to 59-56.
• Ahead 64-61, Brea swished a closely guarded 3-pointer, sparking a 7-0 run to make it 71-61.
• Louisville got as close as five points, 79-74, with 3:17 remaining, but got no closer.