Louisville basketball: Where are the advantages & disadvantages against Kentucky?

We’re just a few days away from the annual rivalry match-up between Louisville basketball and Kentucky. Where are the biggest advantages and disadvantages for the Cards?

As we approach one of the most anticipated Battle of the Bluegrass between the Louisville basketball program and the Kentucky Wildcats in recent memory, many fans and pundits alike have already begun sizing up the dos, the don’ts, and the what-ifs.

All across social media platforms and radio waves, you can hear the echoes of hesitantly cocky UK fans and gloom-and-doom Cards fans, but with good reason.

The Wildcats have dominated the rivalry as of late, and the game IS being played in Rupp Arena, but Louisville (who currently sits at no. 3 in the Associated Press Top 25) boasts a 7-3 record in the series when ranked above the Wildcats (currently no. 19).

This year’s matchup may be the most winnable on paper for Louisville in several of the last few years. In fact, maybe for the first time since 2013, the Cards will have the best player on the floor in Jordan Nwora.

Despite a few early losses Kentucky is still very much in contention to be a late-blooming team. With solid guards and a combination of versatile big men, John Calipari’s team still has plenty of potential and talented players such as Tyrese Maxey and Ashton Hagans. They aren’t what they’ve been in years past, but after showing they can beat top teams as they did in the opening night of the season against Michigan State, they are more than capable of extending Kentucky’s winning streak.

Though history would suggest that all of this merely delays the inevitability of a Kentucky victory, I might suggest giving pause at that full-on assumption this time around. But then again, with this rivalry, you just never know.