No. 5 Louisville Welcomes in No. 14 Kentucky on Sunday

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – No. 5 University of Louisville women's basketball welcomes in-state rival Kentucky to the KFC Yum! Center on Sunday afternoon. The game will tip off at 1 p.m. ET and broadcast on ESPN and 790-AM WKRD.

Tickets for Sunday's game are available and fans can enjoy $2 soda, beer or wine until 10 minutes prior to tip-off. In addition, fans that bring their ticket stubs from both UofL regional volleyball matches at Freedom Hall will receive a free drink voucher (non-alcoholic) courtesy of head coach Jeff Walz. The table for the free drink voucher will be set up in the lobby near Cardinal Authentic and close at tip-off.

The Cardinals (7-1) have won seven straight games and are looking to win their fifth straight over the Wildcats, while Kentucky (6-2) is coming off a 94-85 loss to DePaul on Thursday.

During Louisville's seven-game winning streak they have a plus-26.9 scoring margin. On the season, the Cardinals' scoring margin is plus-23.3, which ranks third in the ACC and 11th in the country.

Through eight games, Louisville is limiting opponents to just 46.4 points per game, which ranks second in the ACC and fourth in the NCAA. UofL is also holding opponents to 32.9 percent shooting, which ranks fifth in the ACC and 19th in the NCAA.

Last time out, Belmont scored 66 points and shot 45.2 percent, both season highs against UofL.

Louisville is 5-0 when scoring 70-plus points this season and have reached 70-plus points in four straight games. UofL is 276-23 when surpassing the 70-point plateau under Walz.

With 14 points against Belmont, Kianna Smith reached the 1,000-point plateau and now has 1,011 points in her collegiate career, between both Louisville and California. She has 411 points in her career at Louisville.

She leads the Cards with 11.5 points per game. She has scored in double digits in each of the last six games and twice has led the team in scoring. She will be recognized prior to the game vs. Kentucky.

Walz, already the winningest coach in program history, has 392 career wins, just eight shy of 400.

ABOUT THE WILDCATS

Kentucky enters Sunday's contest with a 6-2 record, coming off a 94-85 loss to DePaul on Thursday. Kentucky is ranked No. 14 in the Associated Press poll after opening the season at No. 13. The Wildcats return a large chunk of production from the 2020-21 team that finished with an 18-9 record in head coach Kyra Elzy's first year. Consensus All-America First Team honoree Rhyne Howard returns after averaging 20.7 points per game last season, adding 7.3 rebounds per game and a team-best 91 assists. This season, Howard is leading the Wildcats with 19.5 points per game, while shooting 48.6 percent from the floor. Dre'una Edwards and Robyn Benton also return, averaging 18.9 and 13.3 points per game, respectively. Edwards is also pulling down a team-high 7.9 rebounds while shooting 61 percent from the floor. Jada Walker rounds out the Wildcats' double-digit scorers with 11.8 points per game. The Wildcats lead the SEC and rank eighth in the country with 83.8 points per game. They rank third in the nation with a 48.7 field goal percentage and a 1.54 assist-to-turnover ratio and rank ninth with 19.6 assists per game.

Series History - UofL is 21-34 all-time against UK. The Cardinals are 14-11 at home and 3-2 at the KFC Yum! Center. Walz is 7-6 against UK. Louisville has won the last four games, a 67-66 win at Rupp Arena on Dec. 15, 2019, an 80-75 win at the KFC Yum! Center on Dec. 9, 2018, an 87-63 win in Lexington on Dec. 17, 2017 and a 69-67 overtime win at the KFC Yum! Center on Dec. 4, 2016. Prior to recording wins in the last four games, UofL had lost five straight and six of seven. Only one other time has UofL won four or more consecutive games against UK. They won five straight from 2004 to 2008. The two teams did not play last season.

Both Teams in Top 25 - Sunday's game will mark the eighth time since Walz became head coach that the Cardinals and Wildcats meet when they are both in the AP Top 25. Since 2011-12, only twice (2015, 2017) have the two teams met and not both been in the Top 25. Louisville has won the last three games when both teams are in the Top 25 and are 3-4 overall.

Last Meeting (Dec. 15, 2019) - Kylee Shook scored five consecutive points to put No. 7 Louisville ahead, and the Cardinals withstood a late charge by No. 14 Kentucky for a hard-fought 67-66 victory at Rupp Arena. The Cardinals rallied from a 55-45 third-quarter deficit with a 13-0 run entering the fourth and led 62-57 before Kentucky tied it on Rhyne Howard's jumper. Sabrina Haines made two of three free throws with 1:33 remaining and the Wildcats got a final chance with 15 seconds left, but Howard's 3-point attempt with three seconds left bounced off the rim. Shook finished with 11 points, including three 3-pointers, 13 rebounds and five blocks, while Dana Evans made 7 of 14 from the field for 18 points and 10 assists.

GAME FACTS
Date: Sunday, Dec. 12
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Site: Louisville, Ky. | KFC Yum! Center (22,000)
TV: ESPN (Beth Mowins, play-by-play; Debbie Antonelli, analyst)
Radio: 790-AM WKRD (Nick Curran, play-by-play; Adrienne Johnson, analyst)
Last Meeting: W, 67-66 (Dec. 15, 2019 at Rupp Arena)
Series History: 21-34 (W4, 14-11 home, 7-22 away, 1-1 neutral)
Next UofL Game: Thursday, Dec. 16 vs. Eastern Kentucky

For the latest on Louisville women's basketball, visit GoCards.com, follow the team's Twitter account at @UofLWBB or on Facebook at facebook.com/UofLWBB.

No. 5 Louisville Welcomes in No. 14 Kentucky on Sunday

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Players Mentioned

Dana Evans

Kianna Smith

University of Louisville Athletics