For the first time since December of 2020, arch rivals Kentucky and Louisville will do battle Saturday at Rupp Arena.
Last season’s matchup was canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Louisville. All-time UK leads the series between the two rivals 37-17 and is 11-3 in the John Calipari era against the Cards. However, it was Louisville who won the last matchup between the two teams as the Cardinals earned a 62-59 win over the Cats on Dec. 26 of 2020.
Louisville is under new leadership this season as former Cardinal star Kenny Payne enters his first year as the program’s head coach. Payne served as an assistant under John Calipari at Kentucky from 2010-20 and was the Wildcats’ associate head coach from 2014-20. He spent a year and a half as an assistant with the New York Knicks before being hired by the Cardinals in March.
Payne’s first year coaching his alma mater is off to a rough start. The Cardinals opened the year 0-9 and will head to Lexington a woeful 2-11.
Louisville’s only victories are a 94-83 home win over Western Kentucky and a narrow 61-55 win at home over a 2-9 Florida A&M team. The Cardinals have suffered home losses to Bellarmine, Wright State, Appalachian State, Maryland, Miami and Lipscomb. It went 0-3 at the Maui Invitational, losing to Arkansas, Texas Tech and Cincinnati and lost a road game to 4-10 Florida State in Tallahassee.
Players to Know
El Ellis: Ellis is by far Louisville’s most productive player. The senior guard leads the team averaging 17.1 points per game, adds 4.3 assists per game and 2.5 rebounds. He is a 37.8 percent shooter from the field and 33.3 percent shooter from three. He scored a season-high 30 points in the Cards’ win over Western Kentucky and has a pair of 29-point performances on the year.
Brandon Huntley-Hatfield: Huntley-Hatfield has experience playing against Kentucky as he transferred to Louisville from Tennessee. He played three games against the Cats last season with the Vols, including an eight-point, six-rebound performance in Tennessee’s SEC Tournament semifinal win over UK last season. In his debut season at Louisville, the 6-foot-10 forward is averaging 8.1 points per game which ranks second on the team and leads the team averaging 6.3 rebounds per game.
JJ Traynor: Traynor plays just 20.9 minutes per game and only averages 5.3 points per game for the Cardinals, but the junior guard and Bardstown native is dangerous from three-point range as he’s shooting 41.7 percent from downtown this season.
By The Numbers
Points Per Game: 342nd (61.4 PPG)
Points Allowed Per Game: T285th (73.5 PPG allowed)
NET RANKING: 343rd
KENPOM RANKING: 259th
Louisville Cardinals 2022-23 Roster
0 – Devin Ree, F (6-8, 180, Fr.)
1 – Mike James, F/G (6-5, 215, Fr.)
3 – El Ellis, G (6-3, 180, Sr.)
4- Roosevelt Wheeler, F/C (6-11, 240, So.)
5 – Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, F (6-10, 250, So.)
11 – Fabio Basili, G (6-4, 175, Fr.)
12 – JJ Traynor, F (6-8, 190, Jr.)
15 – Hercy Miller, G (6-3, 180, So.)
21 – Sydney Curry, F (6-8, 270, Sr.)
22 – Kamari Lands, F (6-8, 220, Fr.)
23 – Zan Payne, G/F (6-5, 230, Sr.)
24 – Jae’Lyn Withers, F (6-9, 220, Jr.)
30 – Ashton Myles-Devore, G (6-1, 165, Jr.)
33 – Aidan McCool, G (6-3, 165, Jr.)
Coaching Staff