The No. 18 Louisville women’s basketball team is in the midst of a three-game homestand and is preparing for another matchup with its in-state rival this weekend. The annual Battle of the Bluegrass is on deck as the Cardinals and Wildcats will face off at the KFC Yum! Center on Sunday, December 10. The Cards and the Cats will square off at 2 p.m. ET and it will be broadcast nationally on the ACC Network.
Cardinals Riding Hot Streak
The Cardinals are riding their second four-game winning streak of the season into this weekend’s rivalry game. Louisville is coming off its first home game in two weeks after the 80-40 win over NC A&T on Dec. 3 at the Yum! Center. The Cardinals’ defense was strong once again as they won their 38th-straight game when allowing 59 points or less.
Forcing Turnovers
Louisville was active in the passing lanes against the Aggies, as they forced a season-high 31 turnovers. The 31 turnovers were the most they have forced from an opponent since the 2021-22 season. Louisville has forced 20 or more turnovers in seven-straight games and in eight of their nine games this year. The Cardinals rank 16th in the country and have averaged 22.8 turnovers forced per game this season.
Kentucky Scouting Report
This will be the third SEC opponent the Cardinals face this season after matchups with Alabama and No. 19/20 Ole Miss. Last season, the Cardinals went up against two SEC foes (Kentucky and Ole Miss) and were 2-0 in those games.
Kentucky currently has a 4-6 overall record and are coming off a 57-76 loss at home to Minnesota this past Wednesday. Prior to the loss to Minnesota, Kentucky had a two-game winning streak after the home win over Tennessee Tech (73-67) on Dec. 3 and the Wildcats earned a win in their ACC/SEC Challenge game against Boston College (83-81) on Nov. 30. So far this season, the Wildcats have been able to get to the free throw line at a high rate. They average 22.0 free throw attempts per game and that number is fourth best in the SEC and ranks 33rd nationally.
Series History
This will be the 58th meeting in the Battle for the Bluegrass and Louisville trails the all-time series 23-34. This will be the 16th matchup between the two teams since Jeff Walz took over at Louisville and the Cardinals have a 9-6 advantage over that time. Louisville has won the last six games against the Wildcats dating back to the 2015-16 season (The teams did not meet in the 2020-21 season). The six-game winning streak for the Cardinals is the longest in the series history for Louisville.
Last Meeting
The RV/#24 Louisville Cardinals kept the state red as they defeated Kentucky, 86-72, Sunday afternoon at Rupp Arena in the Battle for the Bluegrass. It was the sixth-straight win for the Cardinals (7-4) over the Wildcats (7-2), the longest winning streak Louisville has had in the rivalry’s history.
Game Information
- Date: Sunday, December 10
- Time: 2 p.m. ET
- Site: Louisville, Ky. | KFC Yum! Center (22,090)
- TV: ACCN (Roy Philpot, play-by-play; Brooke Weisbrod, analyst)
- Radio: 93.9-FM The Ville (Nick Curran, play-by-play; Cortnee Walton, analyst), SiriusXM 98 or 194
- Series History: Louisville trails 23-34 (15-11 home, 6-20 away, 1-3 neutral)
- Series History w/Walz: Louisville leads 9-6 (5-2 home, 4-4 away)
- Last Meeting: W, 86-72 (Dec. 11, 2022 at Lexington, Ky.)
Tickets
Tickets for the game are available for purchase online at GoCards.com or by phone at 502-852-5151.