College Basketball 2013-14: Kentucky’s Rise, Louisville’s Fall

Kentucky clinched a signature win against rival, Louisville, on Saturday night. The Wildcats entered the game 0-3 opposed ranked teams and were undefeated against everyone else. Julius Randle stood out in the first half with 17 points. However, he spent most of the second half between the locker room and the bench due to leg cramps.

Despite not having Randle on the court, his teammates stepped up significantly and finished the game with a 73-66 victory. Three players in particular stood out the most including freshmen’s James Young and Andrew Harrison who led the team in points, scoring 18 points each. Young received the Freshman Player of the Week for his performance against the Cardinals adding 10 rebounds and four assists to his 18 points. Second-year forward, Willie Cauley-Stein also played a significant role on Saturday, finishing with 10 rebounds and three blocks. Cauley-Stein was dominated the defensive end.

This was a great win for No. 18 Kentucky, but it was a huge set back for the Louisville Cardinals who dropped from No. six to 14 after their loss. Head Coach, Rick Pitino, voiced the main reasons for the loss with the frontcourt and simply being outplayed. The backcourt kept them in the game. Guards Russ Smith and Chris Jones played well adding 37 points respectively. But Louisville’s big men only attempted seven shots throughout the entire game. Coach Pitino told reporters it’s early in the season so he is not really panicking.

In other Louisville news, forward Chane Behanan was dismissed from the team for a violation of university policy. Before Pitino addressed the situation in a press conference, Behanan went to social media and tweeted, “Good while it lasted,” and “I will forever miss this place.” Specific details regarding the dismissal were not given.