Jury is still out on Kentucky, but freshman Mikel Brown Jr. shows Louisville is back after beating rival

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The mood inside KFC Yum! Center alternated between elation and tension Tuesday, with attitudes shifting to fit the big moments and stakes of a strangely timed rivalry contest in No. 12 Louisville’s 96-88 victory vs. No. 9 Kentucky.

When Louisville freshman phenom Mikel Brown Jr. drilled his third 3-pointer of the first half to put the Cardinals up 18 points, it was elation from the heavily pro-Cards crowd.

As Kentucky struck back with an 18-7 run to end the half, the pendulum shifted back toward tension as “go big blue” chants rose from the pockets of Kentucky faithful clustered throughout enemy territory. 

In the earliest ever meeting between these bitter in-state foes, it was hard to decipher what was real, what was fake and who could be trusted. Brown sure looked like the real deal in his first regular-season game on the big stage. 

Could he sustain it in such an electric environment against such a high-caliber opponent?

The answer turned out to be an emphatic yes as No. 12 Louisville withstood the No. 9 Wildcats’ comeback attempt behind 29 points from their five-star guard. 

It ended Louisville’s three-game losing streak in the rivalry and gave the Cardinals a marquee early-season victory in the first top-15 showdown between the teams since the 2016-17 season. 

Cardinals pass early season test

What has typically been a late December midterm for Kentucky and Louisville devolved into a high-octane entrance exam to determine who earned an early-season pass into the sport’s contending class. By the end of the road, there were insights on both teams.

Louisville’s offense is unequivocally the real deal. The Cardinals hoisted 40 3-pointers for just the second time in coach Pat Kelsey’s two seasons and drilled 13. They also racked up 20 assists for the second time under Kelsey and shredded a Kentucky defense that faces a long road toward competence. 

“We just knew we were facing an issue that we hadn’t found good resolution to in practice,” Kentucky coach Mark Pope said, “and it showed on the court tonight for sure.”

The Cardinals’ defense, though imperfect, forced 14 turnovers and neutralized the impact of Kentucky preseason All-American guard Otega Oweh.

Brown enters Freshman of Year race 

If there is going to be an All-American from either team, the smart money is on Brown.

The No. 6 overall prospect from the Class of 2025 showed that he takes a backseat to no one in the discussion surrounding college basketball’s blockbuster freshman class.

Brown pushed the Cardinals’ lead to 20 with a pair of free throws with 12:24 remaining, bringing a fresh wave of elation to the heavily pro-Louisville crowd of 22,586. But then tension seeped back in as Kentucky whittled the deficit to 88-84 entering the final media timeout.

“Go big blue,” made its return as fans of both colors stood. With more than two weeks until Thanksgiving, it felt like March.

Work to do for Kentucky

Kentucky is an unfinished product still garnering offensive chemistry with point guard Jaland Lowe, who suffered a shoulder injury last month that kept him out of action until last week’s win over Valparaiso. But the Wildcats showed their offensive potential against Louisville by roaring back twice from deficits of 18+ points to make Louisville earn it.

Neither team had faced a competent opponent in regular-season action, yet here they were 18 days before their football meeting duking it out on the hardwood.

With the game on the line, Brown delivered again. His and-one with 2:52 remaining boosted Louisville’s lead to 91-84 and provided the critical separation the Cardinals needed in order to ensure that all the elation and tension didn’t end in stunning disappointment.

Brown held the basketball in his hands as the buzzer sounded.

“My goodness was he special tonight,” Kelsey said.

Kelsey makes painful point

The postgame wave of elation involved Kelsey making a joyful postgame romp through the Cardinals’ student section. It didn’t stop there.

Louisville’s infectiously energetic second-year coach apparently took the celebration to an even greater extreme when he ventured onto the team’s practice court to debrief with the Cardinals staff before they entered the locker room to speak with the team.

“As soon as I walked in, those guys just start running at me and chasing me,” Kelsey said. “You know how when a guy gets a walk-off home run sometimes and everybody mobs him and he just runs around the field?”

The celebratory scene ended in Kelsey dislocating a finger and arriving at his postgame press conference wearing a splint.

He didn’t seem to mind.

“There was so much adrenaline going on in my body,” Kelsey said, “that I didn’t feel anything when doc was pulling that thing.”