That’s great news for the Wildcats, who are making better than 63% of their efforts at or near the rim. It’s a key reason why opponents are shooting 68.9% on close shots, one of the worst marks in college basketball. Teams at times have looked like they were running layup drills against the Cardinals. Three different players are shooting 42.6% or better from distance with at least 40 attempts, paced by Reed Sheppard and his ridiculous 57.1% mark.īut there’s no debate as to whether or not Louisville’s interior defense is due for regression.

Calipari’s offense is firing at will and from range, making nearly 41% of their efforts from outside the arc.

This defense will be tested heavily by Kentucky. But dig deeper into the numbers, and you’ll see the Cardinals have been fortunate to face some of the worst outside shooting teams in the nation. Many are pointing to Louisville’s 3-point defense as a possible reason they cover the spread. Instead, we’ll bank on the Kentucky Wildcats to win the first half by eight or more points. However, there’s a prevailing feeling permeating throughout both fan bases that John Calipari won’t want to run up the score on his former assistant.Īnd for that reason, we’re going to keep things simple and skip the spread for the game to avoid a potential backdoor cover by the Lousiville Cardinals. The storylines surrounding this game make for compelling drama, but the action on the court won’t offer much. Kentucky vs Louisville picks and predictions Kenny Payne’s fallen out hard with the fans, having lost 34 of his 43 games as head coach, and the crowd at the KFC Yum Center on Thursday is expected to have an unfamiliar blue hue to it.Ĭan Louisville and Payne pull off a miracle, or will the Wildcats put the final nail in the coffin? We discuss that and more in our college basketball picks and predictions for Kentucky vs Louisville. His former assistant is in charge of the Louisville program, and it’s not a matter of if but when he will be relieved of his coaching duties. Their second Top 10 win of the non-conference sees them now ranked ninth, and John Calipari’s new-look offense is free-flowing and putting up points. The Wildcats are fresh off a thrilling win over North Carolina, defeating the Tar Heels by four points on a neutral court. Our latest college basketball odds have the Wildcats penned as overwhelming favorites.

The Kentucky Wildcats will seek to inflict further misery on their biggest rivals when they travel an hour west to face the Louisville Cardinals.

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