Louisville fans can point to last season’s win over Kentucky all they want. Fair enough - the Cardinals handled the Wildcats in that one, and nobody in Lexington is pretending it didn’t happen. But one victory doesn’t erase the bigger picture, and the bigger picture in this rivalry still looks brutally lopsided.
Kentucky’s all-time edge over Louisville now sits at 40-18, and that number only tells part of the story. The real gut punch for the Cardinals is what’s happened in Rupp Arena.
Louisville hasn’t won there since January 5, 2008. That’s nearly two full decades without a road win in Lexington, a stretch that hangs over the rivalry every time these teams line up again.
John Calipari had plenty to do with Kentucky’s control of the matchup. He went 13-3 against Louisville during his run with the Wildcats, and all three losses came away from home.
Most of those games were against Rick Pitino, who has since made his way back to Big Blue Madness in blue and white. For Louisville, seeing one of its most accomplished coaches show up on Kentucky’s home floor says plenty about how this rivalry has tilted.
Still, the Cardinals do have some reasons to feel better about where they stand now. Pat Kelsey’s group is coming off that win over Kentucky last season, and Louisville’s transfer portal class is being viewed as the best in the country. That gives the Cardinals some momentum heading into the next meeting.
Kentucky, though, has its own reasons to believe it will be ready when Louisville comes to Lexington in December. Mark Pope has made no secret of how much he loves Rupp Arena, and the Wildcats have added heavily in the offseason.
Flory Bidunga, the No. 1 transfer pledging to Louisville, is matched by Kentucky landing the No. 2 overall transfer in Milan Momcilovic. And in the backcourt, Zoom Diallo will get another shot in a matchup that has gone his way historically against Louisville’s Jackson Shelstad.
So yes, Louisville has a fresh win to hang onto. But the broader rivalry still belongs to Kentucky, and unless the Cardinals start stacking road wins for years on end, that reality isn’t changing anytime soon.
Kentucky’s alumni team, La Familia, also moved to 2-0 all-time against The Ville. Just sayin’.
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