Louisville coach Pat Kelsey previews game against Kentucky, Mark Pope
Louisville basketball coach Pat Kelsey talks about upcoming rivalry game against Kentucky and Mark Pope.
Buckle up. Louisville and Kentucky basketball meet on the court today at the KFC Yum! Center.
It’s not only the earliest meeting ever between the archrivals but also their first as ranked foes since 2019.
Pat Kelsey’s No. 12 Cardinals (2-0) beat South Carolina State (104-45) and Jackson State (106-70) during Week 1 of the regular season. Mark Pope’s No. 8 Wildcats (2-0) are coming off victories over Nicholls (77-51) and Valparaiso (107-59) and jumped to No. 1 in the country on advanced analytics website KenPom.com over the weekend.
UK leads the all-time series, 40-17.
Here’s what you need to know to follow today’s game from home:
Louisville and Kentucky are scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. today inside the Yum! Center.
Betting odds: Louisville is a 2 ½-point favorite (-110) on DraftKings, which set the over/under at 168 ½ points (-110) The moneyline odds are U of L -155, UK +130.
Score predictions: KenPom gives the Cards a 51% chance of winning and projects an 84-83 final score in their favor. BartTorvik.com is also forecasting a U of L victory (68%), with a projected final score of 85-79.
The game between the Cards and the Cats will air on ESPN, which is channel 602 on AT&T U-Verse; channel 206 on DirecTV; channel 140 on Dish; and channel 506 on Spectrum. Dan Shulman (play-by-play) and Jay Bilas (analyst) will be on the call.
If you subscribe to a cable package, you’ll be able to livestream the game via ESPN.com and the ESPN app. If you don’t have cable, you can livestream the game via Fubo, which offers a free trial here.
Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst) will have the call on the Cardinal Sports Network (WLCL 93.9-FM and WGTK 970-AM in Louisville). You can also listen online via GoCards.com.
Tom Leach (play-by-play) and Jack Givens (analyst) will have the call on the UK Sports Network (WHAS 840-AM in Louisville and WLAP 630-AM and WBUL 98.1-FM in Lexington). You can also listen online via UKAthletics.com.
Reach Louisville men’s basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
