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Big Z drops the Ls down as Kentucky crushes the Cards.
Who else needed a 5 o’clock cocktail? A slow start likely frightened Kentucky Wildcats fans, but a monumental effort from Antonio Reeves lifted the Wildcats past their in-state “rival” Louisville Cardinals by a winning score of 95-76.
Reeves made sure this game was essentially over at halftime with 22 points on 9/10 shooting in the opening 20 minutes. He finished with 30 on 10/16 shooting (4/5 from deep).
Both Tre Mitchell and Reed Sheppard had their first double-doubles as Wildcats, with Mitchell scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds while Reed Sheppard scored 11 and had a career-high 11 assists.
This was Kentucky’s most points against Louisville since December of 1991.
The No. 9 Wildcats move on to a 9-2 record while handing Louisville their fourth loss in five games. Unfortunately, that loss may come with bad news for Cardinals head coach Kenny Payne.
Rumors have floated that with Louisville having extended time between Thursday night’s game and the start of conference play, they may pursue a change at head coach.
Nothing has been officially released yet, but it would be something if a loss to John Calipari and Kentucky ended the short-lived tenure of Payne at Louisville.
Check out highlights, box score, game MVP, and Twitter reactions following the win.
Box Score
Highlights
Game MVP
Reeves was the difference maker early on in Thursday night’s game, setting the tone in the first half to help his Wildcats pull away from the Cardinals early on. The veteran guard continues to be the calming presence for this team full of young stars, and when the Wildcats run into any trouble, Reeves is always there to bail them out.
Looking back at the end of last season, a return for Reeves was truly in question. But it’s clear that was far and away the best decision for both Reeves (elevating his draft stock) and Kentucky (having veteran leadership) so far this year.
Twitter Reactions
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