J.D. Hall 
Kentucky and Louisville
Lamont Butler returned to action Saturday for the first time since a December 3rd loss to Clemson where he sprained his ankle. The Wildcats were able to overcome his absence in wins over Gonzaga and Colgate, but rivalry games are a different animal.
Butler answered the bell and was the best player on the floor. He started quick, too, knocking down two three point shots and dishing out 2 assists in the first 5 minutes of the game. He would score 12 points in the first half and be perfect from the floor (4-4 2-2 from 3).
It looked like Kentucky was gonna run away in the game, getting out to a 28-16 lead just 9 minutes in, but that wouldn’t be the case. Although Louisville has been decimated by injuries and only had 8 healthy scholarship players, they came out and played hard an physical. This would result in a 9-2 run over the next 3:15 to cut the lead to 5. It would get no larger than 8 and Kentucky would go to the half up 46-40 thanks to a Butler layup with :02 left on the clock.
The second half went pretty much like the last half of the first half with Kentucky getting out to a 10 point lead, just to see Louisville fight and get right back into it. Chucky Hepburn and Terrence Edwards Jr were the stars for Louisville. Every time they needed a basket to get back into the game, one of them would make a play. Hepburn would have 14 of his 26 points in the second half before fouling out. Edwards Jr would add 10 second half points to his 13 first half points and knock down 5-7 threes for the game.
They were joined in double figures by Noah Waterman (Pope’s former player at BYU) 12. Waterman would also chip in 12 rebounds, 6 offensive. Reyne Smith (10) and J’vonne Hadley (10) would be the last of their double digit scorers.
Louisville would get as close as 3 in the second half, with 12:32 to go on a Hepburn layup, but Kobe Brea would answer right back with a 3 to push it back to 6. From there, the closest they would get is 5 with just over 3 minutes left. Otega Oweh would close the game out from there. From the 1:58 mark, he would score 8 or the next 10 points for Kentucky with a dunk, a layup and a 3 to push the lead to 10 with just 43 seconds remaining.
In a game full of great individual performances, Butler’s stood out among the rest. He would score a career high 33 points, go 10-10 from the floor, hit a career high 6 threes and drop 6 assists. Butler wasn’t the only one scorching the net for Kentucky. They shot over 58% from the floor and 52% from 3 making 11-21. The 21 three point attempts were a season low, but it was good to see them again hit at a high percentage. Kentucky also won the rebound battle 41-31 and dished out 23 assists on 32 made baskets.
Joining Butler in double figures were Oweh with 17 (7-11 1-2 from 3), Jaxson Robinson 12 (4-11 2-5 from 3), Andrew Carr 10 (4-7 9 rebounds) and Brea 10 (4-9 2-7 from 3).
It was a return to a competitive game after years of Louisville not being competitive, especially in the last 2. It was a game, that was probably closer than it should’ve been with Louisville’s lack of depth, but in a rivalry game, you always take a win no matter how it comes.
Kentucky now enters a stretch with just 2 games the next 17 days. December 21 against Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic at MSG and then December 31 against Brown at Rupp Arena to close out non-conference play.
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