< Previous10 @KentuckyMBBYou can enjoy FREE * grocery delivery, 2X Fuel Points and more for as low as $59/year. *$35 order minimum. Restrictions apply. Subject to availability. Delivery time not guaranteed. Official Grocery Partner of UK AthleticsWEEKNIGHTS 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY 9:00 a.m.14 @KentuckyMBB From Press Row The State's Best Rivalry Separated my a mere 80 miles, Ken- tucky and Louisville are the bluebloods of the Bluegrass State. They have combined for more than 4,000 wins, 11 on-court national championships and 27 Final Fours, includ- ing a combined six since 2011. Countless All-Americans have put on uniforms for the two schools. • UK owns an all-time record of 37-17 against the Cards, including an 11-3 mark since John Calipari took over the reins • The Cats are 20-5 all-time when the game is played in Lexington, and undefeat- ed at home against the Cards under Calipari • Two of UK's victories under Calipari were when the stakes were at their highest in the NCAA Tournament. The first was in the 2012 Final Four in which Kentucky went on to win the national title. The second was in 2014 in the Sweet 16, as the Wildcats went on to the Final Four again • Only three times -- all UK victories -- in those 13 games since Calipari took over has the game been decided by more than 10 points • The two schools had a 24-year gap without a game following the 1959 meeting before the “Dream Game” revived the series in 1983. The two schools played each oth- er every year since, except for last season's contest which was canceled due to COVID concerns within the Louisville program • The highest-scoring game came in 1991 when UK won 103-89 • Prior to Louisville’s win in 2016, Ken- tucky’s four-game winning streak in the series was the longest since UK won five straight from 1916-51 • Louisville head coach Kenny Payne spent 10 seasons on UK's staff under Cali- pari • Zan Payne played for the Wildcats for four seasons and is a two-time graduate of Kentucky Best in the Bluegrass Kentucky is 22-3 against in-state foes with John Calipari at the helm, including an 11-3 mark vs. Louisville. Two of the victories over the Cardinals were during postseason play. The Wildcats have won all six meetings played inside Rupp Arena, including a 29-point win in 2017-18, the third-largest margin of victory in the history of the series. UofL's three wins are by a combined nine points. The matchup with Bellarmine on Nov. 29, a 60-41 Kentucky win, was the first be- tween the two programs in their histories and the first of two regular-season matchups against in-state foes for the Cats in 2022-23. Need to Know ... Need to know facts about the Cats: • Sahvir Wheeler leads the SEC and ranks seventh nationally with 6.5 assists per game • Since the start of the 2019-20 season, his freshman season at Georgia, Wheeler's 610 total assists rank second nationally, only behind the 688 by Yuri Collins of Saint Louis • Cason Wallace ranks third in the SEC and 15th nationally with 2.50 steals per game. The 2.50 steals per contest are the most in the country among freshmen • Wallace is the only freshman in the country averaging at least 12.0 points, at least 4.0 assists, at least 3.0 rebounds and at least 2.0 steals per game • Oscar Tshiebwe's 23-point, 19-re- bound game against Missouri was the fourth such contest of his UK career. He now has four of the seven 20 or more points and at least 18 rebounds in a game by an SEC player in the last 10 seasons. No other play- er has more than one and the feat had not been accomplished since South Carolina's Sindarius Thornwell did so against Alabama on Feb. 7, 2017 • Tshiebwe also has tallied three 20-point, 15-rebound games so far this sea- son after seven a season ago. He has 10 of the 52 20-point, 15-rebound contests by SEC players in the last 10 seasons • Tshiebwe is one of two players in the NCAA this season averaging more than 15 points and 13 rebounds per game (Zach Ed- ey-Purdue) • Tshiebwe is second in the country with 13.6 rebounds per game • He is second in the country with 5.40 offensive rebounds per game and eighth with 8.20 defensive boards per contest • With 1,181 points and 1,016 boards, Tshiebwe is one of two players nationally to total at least 1,000 points and 1,000 re- bounds over the last four seasons, joining North Carolina's Armando Bacot (1,518 points, 1,135 rebounds). Tshiebwe has played 27 fewer games than BacotMOP IT LIKE IT ' S HOTMOP IT LIKE IT ' S HOTInside The Numbers 18 @KentuckyMBB LOUISVILLE (2-11) AT KENTUCKY (8-4) Series Breakdown Overall - UK, 37-17 at Lexington - UK, 20-5 Calipari vs. UL - 17-8 Payne vs. UK - 0-0 Current UK streak - L1 John Calipari Kenny Payne Overall Record: 818-245* Overall Record: 2-11 Record at UK: 373-105 Record at Louisville: 2-11 Overall Seasons: 31st Overall Seasons: 1st at Kentucky: 14th at Louisville: 1st * on court record UK Statistic UL 78.4 Points Per Game 61.4 40.7 Rebounds PG 32.5 17.8 Assists PG 8.7 4.8 Blocks PG 3.0 7.8 Steals PG 5.3 12.4 Turnovers PG 16.7 .461 FG Pct. .401 .395 3-Pt. FG Pct. .319 .661 FT. Pct. .738 1.4 Assist-to-TO Ratio 0.5 THE MATCHUPTALE OF THE TAPE • Improve UK's record to 38-17 against Louisville and 21-5against the Cardinals in games played in Lexington • Move John Calipari's record to 18-8 against Louisville, and 12-3 as UK's coach • Keep Kentucky undefeated against the Cards at home under Calipari • Increase UK's home win streak to 27 games, tying for the fifth-longest streak in Rupp history A UK WIN WOULD... 49 SEC regular-season titles in program history 31 SEC Tournament championships 26 Straight home victories in Rupp Arena 6 Straight home wins vs. Louisville in the series BY THE NUMBERSNext >