Latest Kentucky-Louisville matchup is clash of styles (Dec 21, 2016)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Wednesday night's showdown between No. 6 Kentucky and No. 10 Louisville is sure to produce fireworks.
Admiring the Wildcats' up-tempo style, Louisville coach Rick Pitino said his Cardinals will play "ping-pong" with Kentucky Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET in Louisville's KFC Yum! Center.
"We don't have the athletes that Kentucky has to play at that kind of pace," Pitino said Monday night. "We have athletes. We have enough athletes to play our style. Our front-court doesn't run as fast as their front-court does, but our wings can run, so we will do a lot of running. That's what the fans want to see so let's go play a ping-pong match."
If Louisville (10-1) tries to match Kentucky's speed it could be an advantage for the Wildcats (10-1). The average Kentucky offensive possession lasts just 13.8 seconds and they average 95.2 points per game.
"We have nobody as fast as (De'Aaron) Fox. We have nobody as fast as (Malik) Monk," Pitino said. "... We play fast, but not that fast."
That doesn't mean the Wildcats are in for an easy time. Coach John Calipari views the game as a mighty treacherous contest.
"Playing a top 10 team on the road on their court, where are we on December 21?" Calipari asked. "Love to win it, but let's really learn about where are we right now.
"Here's what I said to them and I'll say it this game: You do not have to be perfect, you do not even have to be great, but you gotta play. Because this team plays hard, they're competitive, they're physical, they're not afraid to bang. If you don't play you have no chance of winning."
Kentucky owns a 34-15 edge in the series, including an 8-1 mark since coach Calipari took over the program. But Calipari contends none of that matters when rival reunite.
"I don't think any of the past games have any bearing on this game," Calipari said. "When I'm coaching against a guy that has won some games against me, I'm not worried about the past. I'm just saying, 'How do we win this game?' I would say he's thinking the same way.
"I'm happy when it's over. Just get it done," Calipari said. "Everybody makes it life or death and it's not life or death ... it's worse than that. Just play the game, let's see what happens and let's go. We've got our league to deal with, he's got his league to deal with, let's just move on."
The Cardinals only average 78.5 points per game and have not allowed more than 71 points to any team this season.
The pace of Wednesday night's matchup is a chess game both Hall-of-Fame coaches will be monitoring closely.
"I'm not playing zone," Calipari said at his pregame press conference. The he looked into the camera and dead-panned, "I might in this game, Rick."
Pitino said he didn't have a "favorite moment" in the series, but he's learning to put the game in better perspective.
Pitino said Kentucky will be the most-talented team the Cardinals will face this season.
"Nobody has the athletes and the talent that Kentucky has," Pitino said. "They have great talent. That doesn't mean you can't beat them, but you just have to know what you are going up against. ... It is going to be a great basketball game."
The Wildcats won their first seven games, including a 69-48 drubbing of Michigan State, before losing to 97-92 to No. 2 UCLA on Dec. 3. Since then, Kentucky reeled off three more wins including Saturday's impressive 103-100 win over No. 8 North Carolina.
Kentucky is led by guards Monk (21.9 points per game) and De'Aaron Fox (15.9), both freshmen, and sophomore Isaiah Briscoe (15.9). The Wildcats also get 12.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game from freshman center Bam Adebayo.
Monk is coming off a 47-point effort in Kentucky's 103-100 victory over No. 7 North Carolina in Las Vegas.
Louisville started the season with five straight wins including a 62-52 win over Wichita State before falling 66-63 to No. 4 Baylor in the Battle 4 Atlantis final on Nov. 25. The Cardinals rebounded with a 71-64 win over No. 15 Purdue and have since won four straight games.
With four players scoring between 9.5 and 11.7 points per game, the Cardinals are a very balanced attack. Sophomore guard Donovan Mitchell leads the way at 11.7 per game with junior point guard Quentin Snider (11.0) the only other Cardinal in double-figures. Louisville's defense is rated No. 1 in the nation by Ken Pomeroy and the Cardinals only allowing 59.4 points per game.
"We are going up against a team that is extremely well-coached, a tough team and we're playing them in a place where they just don't lose," Calipari said. "It is going to be very tough."
