Kentucky Basketball: Cats Miss Chances, Fall to Louisville

Kentucky Basketball: The KFC Yum! Center was rocking, and both teams scrapped and fought. In the end, Cats miss chances, fall to Cards 73-70

Dec 21, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Edrice Adebayo (3) battles Louisville Cardinals forward Mangok Mathiang (12) for a rebound during the first half at KFC Yum! Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

The old adage in boxing is styles make the fight. A more perfect description of couldn’t be found to color No. 6 Kentucky’s tough, 73-70 loss to No. 10 Louisville in the KFC Yum! Center. In basketball terms, the Cats wanted to run, but Louisville was able to slow Kentucky down just enough, impose will with it’s tough half court defense and relentless high pick-and-roll attacking offense, and edge the Cats in an absolute slug-fest.

GAME STATS

Louisville’s Quentin Snider led all scorers with 22 points on 10 or 19 shooting from the floor. Snider played incredibly, hitting from behind the arc, off the dribble, and tough contested shots in the lane. When Kentucky defenders did help to stop his drive, Snider found the open man, logging five assists, to go with six rebounds. Dang Adel added 18 points and six rebounds, while Jaylen Johnson scored 14, and Donovan Mitchell added 13, with four Cards reaching double figures.

De’Aaron Fox led the way for the Cats with 21 points, while Malik Monk, after sitting much of the first half, aded 10 second half points to score 16 in the game. But Monk didn’t have the rhythm much of the night, taking shots that looked forced compared to the ease in which he shot the ball during his 47-point explosion against North Carolina.

However, after missing his first eight 3-point attempts tonight, with just 12 seconds remaining Monk sank a dagger, a ridiculous 26-foot pull up 3 that cut the lead to one, 71-70. Kentucky fouled immediately on the ensuing inbounds play, sending Mitchell to the line, who sank both free throws for the 73-70 lead.

That setup yet another Monk moment from deep, contested, and with the game on the line. But unlike the North Carolina game, where Monk hit the go-ahead 3, tonight the sensational freshman was off the mark as time expired.

Kentucky had its chances tonight, in a tight, hard-fought battle typical of UK-UL wars in years past. The defensive pressure was intense all night from Rick Pitino’s squad, and Louisville did a good job slowing down Kentucky’s transition game. However, 10 missed free throws from the Cats, including some front ends, along with 13 turnovers and -4 in rebounding tell the story best.

In the end, Louisville, in a crazy atmosphere most of these Cats had never experience, out-scrapped the Cats when it mattered most down the stretch.