Antonio Reeves exploded for 30 points, and a pair of his Kentucky teammates recorded double-doubles on Thursday as the No. 9 Wildcats rolled to a 95-76 win at Louisville.
Reeves came out smoking, knocking down nine of his first 10 shots, as UK built a 53-33 lead by halftime. The senior guard finished 4-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arc on a night when the Cats made 12 of 25.
Senior center Tre Mitchell and freshman guard Reed Sheppard each chipped in with a double-double. Mitchell scored 18 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, while Sheppard scored 11 points and dished out 11 assists.
"That was a super-fun game," said Sheppard, who also pulled down four rebounds and recorded two steals in a stat-stuffing line. "... The fans were crazy. They were really into it. You know, it's a Louisville-Kentucky game. We knew we had to come out and fight because they were going to."
Kentucky (9-2) also got double-figure scoring from Justin Edwards (13) and Rob Dillingham (12). The Cats shot 52% from the field and dished out 19 assists.
"What's great about this team, there's no pressure on you where, if I don't play well, we lose," Kentucky head coach John Calipari said. "So go out there and play loose and have fun."
Sheppard echoed his coach: "The good thing about this team is you can pass the ball to the right or the left, and you know no matter what something good can happen."
Louisville (5-7) got 20 points from one-time UK commitment Skyy Clark and 16 points from former Tennessee Volunteer Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, but the Cards made only four of their 17 shots from long-range and were unable to keep pace with the high-octane Cats.
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In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...
KEY MOMENT:
Louisville was hanging around until the under-4 segment of the first half. The Cats went on a 14-2 run to take a 53-33 lead into the locker room and immediately extended it with a 9-3 spurt to start the second half. The game was never in doubt for the final 17-plus minutes. Antonio Reeves had 11 of his 30 points during the extended run.
GAME BALL:
Antonio Reeves, Kentucky - The Cats' senior guard had one of those nights he's shown many times during his two seasons at UK. Red must bring out the best in him as this performance was reminiscent of his 37-point effort last year at Arkansas. Reeves was 10-of-16 from the field en route to a game-high 30 points and MVP honors from The Bluegrass Sports Commission. The Chicago native also had two assists and two steals.
BY THE NUMBERS:
1st - Time a Kentucky player recorded double-digit assists (Reed Sheppard 11) in the Louisville rivalry game.
3rd - Time in the modern era that UK has defeated UofL in both football and basketball in the same season. (2010-2011, 2018-2019, 2023-24)
11-2 - Edge for the Cats in fast-break points.
22/76 - Points scored by the Cards at the free-throw line.
+27 - Team-best +/- for UK's Reed Sheppard in 27 minutes played.
39-17 - The Cats' record in the all-time series with the Cards. UK is 13-3 against Louisville under current head coach John Calipari.
40-26 - Kentucky scoring advantage on points in the paint.
QUOTABLE:
"Looking up and seeing all kinds of blue (in the stands) was really cool." -- UK freshman guard Reed Sheppard
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action on Dec. 29 at Rupp Arena against Illinois State, the former college home of the Cats' Antonio Reeves. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. ET on the SEC Network. The Red Birds (7-4) are playing Southeast Missouri tonight before coming to Lexington.
