It is that time of year again Cards fans. This is the one folks in the state of Kentucky circle on their schedule every holiday season. The “Battle of the Bluegrass” rivalry started in 1913 and on Saturday, the two teams will meet for the 45th time as the #4 Cards take on the Kentucky Wildcats in the KFC Yum Center. The Cats hold the winning edge in this series 30 to 14 winning the last 7 out of 9 and 4 straight. The last time these teams met was in last years Final 4 in New Orleans. The eventual National championship Wildcats won that game 69-61.

Once again, Kentucky is starting from scratch after losing a host of players to the NBA draft. The Wildcats started this season ranked in the top five in the country despite returning only one player who contributed to their National Title last season. That says a lot about their coach John Calipari and his success in recruiting the best. As they have done since Calipari arrived on campus, the Cats once again have many blue chip athletes leading their team. This team does not compare to last year’s version so much as it does Calipari’s second team in Lexington, the one led by Brandon Knight, Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb. Like that team, this group of UK freshman has been struggling to find their mojo. So far, that has resulted in a 8-3 record and a tumultuous plunge out of the national rankings. Kentucky has suffered from defensive lapses against better teams. In their three losses, they have allowed both Duke and Notre Dame to be offensively efficient and shoot a high effective FG%. Against Baylor, they simply could not score, because they did not communicate and play solid basketball. Kentucky at the moment is a team that is still figuring out how to play the college game. UK is currently ranked nationally 25th in points per game at 78.5, 61st in rebounding at 38.8 a game, 34th in assist per game at 16.4, and 16th in field goal percentage a game at .490. Kenpom has UK’s Adj. efficiency on offense at 110.4 which ranks 26th and defense at 85.7 which ranks 8th. He has them ranked 13th overall.

In-conference offense: 1.20 points per possession (1st)
In-conference defense: 0.94 points allowed per possession (2nd)

Archie Goodwin FR (16.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg) 6-4 G reminds me of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. He’s a gifted player whose skills are matched only by his competitive spirit and commitment to team play. He was a consensus five-star recruit and ESPN rated him the No. 4 shooting guard and No. 15 player in the class of 2012. A strong wing player, good shooter, but really excels off the dribble. He has scored 176 points this season, grabbed 60 rebounds and has 46 assist in 350 minutes of play.

Nerlens Noel FR (10.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg) 6-10 F is probably the most well known freshman in the nation, He is an elite shot blocker and rebounder. He can impact a game without scoring a point and can really shut down the low post with his length and quickness of the jump. He has scored 118 points this season, grabbed 100 rebounds and has 41 blocked shots in 327 minutes of play.

Willie Cauley-Stein FR (7.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg) 7-0 F plays above the rim. And he’s got pretty good skills. He’s been working on his post moves, and he can step out and take the 15- to 17-footer, and maybe a 3 every now and then. He needs to get stronger, but it seems like he is still getting used to life as a basketball player. He was a football star in High School. He has scored 84 points this season, grabbed 58 rebounds and has 22 blocked shots in 221 minutes of play.

Alex Poythress FR (14.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg) 6-7 F has got some God-given gifts, really strong, athletic, great vertical leap and a 7-foot wingspan. He guards the wing well but has had conditioning issues this season. He has scored 159 points this season, grabbed 72 rebounds and has 8 blocked shots in 309 minutes of play.

Ryan Harrow Soph (7.0 ppg, 1.9 rpg) 6-2 G is the smallest point guard that Calipari has had. He isn’t in the Derek Rose-John Wall-Brandon Knight category. He doesn’t have the length of Tyreke Evans or the strength of Marquis Teague. But he does have more experience than these guys had. So far this season that hasn’t carried over. He has the ability to score, makes tough layups and can keep you honest with his jump shot. He has scored 49 points this season, has 20 assist in 147 minutes of play.

Sam Malone Soph (0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg) 5-11 G has not played any significant minutes this season.

Tod Lanter Soph (0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg) 6-2 G has not played any significant minutes this season.

Brian Long Soph (0.0 ppg, 0.0 rpg) 5-9 G has not played any significant minutes this season.

Kyle Wiltjer Soph (11.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg) 6-10 F is the definition of a “catch and shoot” player. So far this year, 64% of Wiltjer’s shot attempts have been three-point field goals. He has feasted on weaker competition in the early going taking and making a lot of uncontested shots. But against a tough defense like Louisville’s he will have to put the ball on the ground to be successful. He has scored 125 points this season, grabbed 55 rebounds, and has 21 assist in 273 minutes of play.

Jon Hood JR (1.8 ppg, 0.6 rpg) 6-7 G hasn’t seen any significant play during his time as a Wildcat but this season, however, with depth in short supply, He has been called upon to help in certain situations. He’s a decent shooter but he’s not gonna hurt you with his quickness. He has scored 14 points this season and grabbed 5 rebounds in 38 minutes of play.

Jarrod Polson JR (3.1 ppg, 1.2 rpg) 6-2 G was placed on scholarship last season but saw limited action in just 11 games. Surprisingly he has provided some decent minutes off the bench this season for the Wildcats. And was an important spark in their early win against Maryland. He is a good ball handler and makes smart decisions with the ball. He has scored 34 points this season, grabbed 13 rebounds and has 13 assist in 161 minutes of play.

Twany Beckham SR (0.5 ppg, 0.3 rpg) 6-4 G is a former Miss St player that is a defensive guy that can provide energy off the bench for UK. So far this season he hasn’t really played any quality minutes. But I do expect him to be used to combat some of Louisville’s depth.

Julius Mays SR (9.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg) 6-2 G started his college career at NC State, played a year at Wright State, and will finish at Kentucky. He is a strong combo guard, but not a great athlete. He has played the role of shooter coming off the bench so far this season. He shot 43 percent from three last season. I think he is one of the most important players on this team. And could be a x-factor in games like Saturday. I hope Rick accounts for this guy. He has scored 102 points this season, grabbed 32 rebounds and has 40 assist in 360 minutes of play.

Don’t know about you but I have been thinking about this one since the ride home from New Orleans. The Cats have beaten us on the hardwood 4 straight and this is our year to get back on the winning side of “The Battle of the Bluegrass.” The Cards have the experience edge in this one and this season finally has enough talent to compete with Kentucky. If Peyton plays under control, stays out of foul trouble, if Russ is Russ, and if our frontcourt players step up, and play a physical game this one should belong to the Cards. So far, this season UK has had trouble getting to the basket and has been prone to taking bad shots. Louisville without Gorgui has had issues with letting teams get into the lane to make easy baskets. With Gorgui expected back in the line-up it should make it tougher for teams to make easy shots in the lane. If they struggle with this Saturday, I think UK can and will take advantage of it. If this happens, we will see a much closer contest.

This game was named the #1 OOC game by Sports Illustrated’s Andy Glockner. Here’s what he said: “Two elite teams meet once again, rematch of the Final Four, eternal bragging rights (at least for another year), HoF coaches who can’t stand each other. It’s not always a pretty watch, but it’s compelling TV and the best soap opera in the sport at the moment.”

I am optimistic about this game on Saturday but cautiously optimistic. As we have seen through the years, it is not always the team that is expected to win who does. This game is important to our Cards and a win in my opinion is important for this rivalry. It doesn’t matter what the sport is. You cannot let your rival continue to win and expect the rivalry to stay meaningful to either side. A win by the Cards on Saturday would end a dominate UK streak and would help the rivalry live on. But the battle will not be over, as the Cats will still hold a 30 to 15 advantage.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 90 Kentucky 83