KENTUCKY 69, LOUISVILLE 62
Dec. 31, 2011
Rupp Arena; Lexington, Ky.

SUMMARY
In a game marked by 52 fouls, Kentucky outlasted both the officials and Louisville to win its third straight in the battle for the Commonwealth.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist delivered 24 points and 19 rebounds to lead the Cats to a 69-62 victory in Rupp Arena. Anthony Davis, saddled with foul trouble in the first half, finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks.

Russ Smith poured in 30 points for Louisville, connecting on 10-of-20 shots from the field in a game that saw the teams combine to shoot 31.1 percent (37-of-119) and turn the ball over 35 times.

Kentucky made 32-of-43 free throws in a game the officials seemed determined to keep from becoming an ugly affair like Cincinnati-Xavier earlier this season.

CALIPARI TALK
“You understand I love this. You shoot 29 percent from the floor and you win. Let me make that statement again – you shoot 29 percent from the floor and win. That’s a good day.”

OPPOSING VIEW
“What you have to do to get to the basket against that guy is almost impossible. The amount of room he covers around the basket is incredible.” – Louisville guard Russ Smith, on UK’s Anthony Davis

FROM THE LOCKER ROOM
“This is me. This is what I live for right here. Why? I’ve always been that way. I’ve got a lot of heart, that’s why. I’m built for it. I play my heart out. That’s what I give, my heart.” – UK forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, on his performance

GAME BALL
If you can’t appreciate the way Michael Kidd-Gilchrist plays basketball then you probably just need to stop watching the game altogether but few players embody the essence of a basketball player more than him. The freshman forward set new career highs in points (24) and rebounds (19), but it was the gritty and completely unfazed performance he put on in a game marred by fouls and physical play that shined brightest. Simply put, without Michael Kidd-Gilchrist the Cats don’t win this game (or several others already this year). He’s the Most Valuable Player in the nation to this point.

TURNING POINT
Louisville used a 17-5 run at the end of the first half to erase a 15-point Kentucky lead and pull within three at the break, then got even at 40 on a four-point play by Russ Smith with 15:23 remaining in the game. That’s when the Cats got boosts from – who else? – Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Anthony Davis, who scored seven straight points to push the lead to seven. The game was never closer than five points the rest of the way.

DID YOU NOTICE?
The officials? How could you not? The crew of Tony Greene, Jamie Luckie and Michael Stephens took control of the game from the first minute, whistling 53 fouls in the contest, many of the ticky tack variety. The whistle happy trio took all the flow out of the game and led to a parade of 70 attempted free throws, as well as technical fouls on Louisville’s Chane Behanan and Kentucky coach John Calipari. Neither Calipari nor Louisville coach Rick Pitino seemed pleased with the way the game was officiated.

UNSUNG HERO
Terrence Jones has not scored in double figures since the North Carolina game, a span of four actual games and 28 days on the calendar, yet he had a significant impact on the Cats’ victory. Jones hauled in 11 rebounds and produced three steals in 30 minutes, offsetting a 1-of-9 shooting night (and 0-of-4 from the free throw line) that clearly showed his dislocated left pinky is still bothering him. The sophomore said he did not care what his offensive numbers were, he just wanted to play physical basketball and hit the glass to help UK win. Mission accomplished.

KEY NUMBER
57 – Louisville entered the game having been outrebounded by nearly six boards a game but it was shocking to see Kentucky dominate the Cardinals the way it did in the victory. The Cats snatched 57 rebounds on the game, 26 more than the Cardinals managed to help ease the pressure created by 29.8 percent shooting for UK. The plus-26 margin upped UK’s rebounding advantage in the past two Kentucky-Louisville games to plus-37 (93-56).

FINAL THOUGHT
Had someone told you before the game Kentucky would shoot 29.8 percent from the field, turn the basketball over 21 times, make just three three-pointers and have a Louisville player score 30 points, what would you have said? That there was no way the Cats were winning, right? Me too. This game was far from aesthetically pleasing but there is value in winning when the statistics say you shouldn’t. This was a gritty effort from the Cats.

NEXT
Kentucky (13-1) has one final non-conference game, traveling to Louisville for its annual game in Freedom Hall. The Cats will face Arkansas-Little Rock at 7 p.m. in the venerable arena.