COURIER-JOURNAL STAFF PICKS
Jeff Greer, U of L basketball writer: The Cards have the most efficient defense in the nation, and Donovan Mitchell has to be one of the best individual defenders. That'll help them win a lot of games this season, and it should help them slow this game down at times. But I see De'Aaron Fox's quickness and athleticism being too much of an issue for Louisville's other guards. It'll be entertaining for all 40 minutes. Kentucky, 71-67.
Fletcher Page, UK basketball writer: I expect Louisville's defense, rebounding and home-court advantage to keep this close, but Malik Monk and De'Aaron Fox create too many scoring opportunities - Monk from all over the court and Fox going to the rim - for the Cards to keep up. Kentucky wins, 81-77.
Tim Sullivan, columnist: Can't decide who's the better of Kentucky's freshman guards, but I don't envy anyone asked to guard either of them. Kentucky, 88-79.
Steve Jones, U of L football writer: The Cards' defense is good enough to keep the Cats' explosive offense from hitting its usual high gear, but UK still has too much firepower in a pretty high-scoring game. Kentucky, 80-73.
Jon Hale, UK football writer: Kentucky is the better team, but I can’t help but feel like the Wildcats will stumble in a hostile environment against a great defense after Saturday’s big win. Louisville, 78-77.
Chris White, sports director: Louisville's defense puts up a great fight, but Kentucky is loaded with scoring power. Kentucky, 70-62.
Gentry Estes, sports planning editor: Louisville gets after it defensively, and that should allow it to slow down Kentucky, but how much? The Cats are at 95.2 points per game, and I just don’t know if the Cards have the scorers to keep up for 40 minutes. Kentucky, 82-75.
