LEXINGTON, Ky. -- After fans of both Kentucky and Louisville pondered the status of Wildcats' Lamont Butler all week leading up to their highly anticipated rivalry game, it didn't take the UK grad senior point guard long to show he was fully recovered from an ankle injury that caused him to miss the last two games.

Butler nearly pitched a perfect game on Saturday at Rupp Arena, going 10-of-10 from the field and 6-of-6 from beyond the arc en route to a career-high 33 points in a 93-85 win for No. 5 Kentucky.

He also added six assists for the Wildcats, who shot 70% from the field in the first half and finished at 58.2% His only blemish on his night was a 7-of-12 showing at the free-throw line, which ultimately did not factor in the outcome.

"Lamont Butler was magnificent," said first-year Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey. "I still see that kid in my nightmares because we played against them when I was the head coach at College of Charleston, and he was the point guard at San Diego State. We played an epic battle in the first round, and he is just a warrior and a winner.

"He has been out the past couple games -- people were talking about if he was going to play or not -- and I thought that that cat was playing in this game, you can mark that one down. He is a stone-cold killer and a really, really good player.

Fellow first-year head coach Mark Pope of Kentucky continued to marvel at his point guard and team leader.

"My goodness, what an incredible... I mean Lamont Butler just gave us one of the all-time greatest performances in the history of this super-special game," he said.

Added teammate Jaxson Robinson: “Look at the performance he put up. That is crazy.”

Butler's 33 points were the second-highest total by a UK player ever against Louisville, falling just a point shy of matching Derrick Miller's 34-point effort in 1988.

It was far from a one-man show, though.

Kentucky (10-1) also got 17 points from junior guard Otega Oweh, 12 points from Robinson on the wing, 10 points from grad senior guard Koby Brea, and 10 points from grad senior forward Andrew Carr in a balanced attack for a game that featured a 33-point scorer.

The Cats outrebounded the Cards 41-31 and had a 24-4 scoring advantage in fast-break points.

Louisville (6-5) was led by senior guard Chucky Hepburn with 26 points, including four 3-pointers. Grad senior swingman Terrrence Edwards Jr. added 23 points for the Cards, who lost despite knocking down 14 of their 39 attempts from the 3-point arc.

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In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...

KEY MOMENT:

With the game still hanging in the balance at the 2-minute mark, Kentucky's Otega Oweh -- who had just missed the front end of a potential key bonus situation -- came up with a steal and a runout dunk to give the Cats some breathing room again at 81-74. Moments later, after the teams traded buckets, he knocked down a corner 3 get the lead back to 10 and essentially end the Cards' hopes of a comeback.

GAME BALL:

Lamont Butler, Kentucky -- The Cats' grad senior point guard delivered the game of his young career against Kentucky's biggest rival, earning MVP honors with his 33-point, six-assist effort. Butler went 10-of-10 from the field, 6-of-6 from the arc, and 7-of-12 at the line. It marked a new career scoring high for him.

BY THE NUMBERS:

2nd - Best 3-point shooting percentage (52.4) for Kentucky in the history of the series with Louisville. The only game better for the Cats was a 64.7% effort on December 27th, 1986.

18-4 - Kentucky's all-time record against Louisville at Rupp Arena. The Cats improved to 40-17 overall against the Cards, including three straight wins.

23 - Assists recorded by UK on 32 made field goals. Four different players had four or more, led by Lamont Butler with six.

25 - The most combined 3-pointers made in a game between Kentucky and Louisville.

93 - The third-highest point total for the Cats in a matchup against Louisville.

QUOTABLE:

"It was cool to just be a part of the rivalry itself because I grew up watching it. So to be a part of it is a dream come true." -- UK guard Jaxson Robinson

UP NEXT:

Kentucky returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 21, against Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Buckeyes (6-4) lost to Auburn on Saturday, 91-53. Tipoff for the Wildcats and Buckeyes will be approximately 5:15 p.m. ET, following the first game of the doubleheader between North Carolina and UCLA.