The showdown between the University Kentucky and Louisville basketball teams today boils down to this: size against speed.
That's not oversimplifying things, according to those on both sides of the annual grudge match between ninth-ranked Kentucky (6-1) and the No. 13 Cardinals (6-1). "I guess you would have to say that," Louisville center Ellis Myles said.
Kentucky seemed to have found a formula for success last Saturday in a win over Indiana: pound the ball inside and let 6-foot-6 Chuck Hayes, 6-10 Randolph Morris and 7-foot Shagari Alleyne wreak as much havoc as possible. The Wildcats also are deep, with nine players averaging 10 minutes or more per game.
By contrast, Louisville's rotation consists of only seven players, and 6-8 forward Otis George is not at 100 percent after missing the past three games with a pre-stress fracture in his right foot. George and 6-8 forward Juan Palacios are the Cardinals' tallest regulars.
The Cardinals' lack of depth causes coach Rick Pitino such concern that he described a 74-70 win over Florida last Saturday - when his starters each played 31 or more minutes and the Cardinals experienced significant foul trouble - as "the most uncomfortable I've been as a head coach. The most uncomfortable feeling, every second of that game. I felt like my brain was going to erupt.
"I'm glad that game is over. We're still thin. Playing against Kentucky with only one sub is bad enough, but at least we can substitute a frontcourt player."
But the lack of depth hasn't stopped the Cardinals from playing an up-tempo style that emphasizes taking advantage of transition opportunities. It has been effective the past two years against UK, as the Wildcats have jumped to an early lead, only to make uncharacteristic mistakes down the stretch.
The key to beating Louisville is "not being caught up and allowing Louisville to force you to play their style," UK coach Tubby Smith said. "I thought that happened to us in the past. We tried to match 3-point shots and we had the wrong people taking the wrong shots at the wrong time. We didn't make the extra pass. It's critical."
Smith wants UK to slow the tempo and run set plays, hoping to take advantage of the Wildcats' size advantage inside.
"We feel like that's one of the things we're doing better," Smith said. "We're not shooting the ball well from the outside. We're shooting it better inside."
Pitino - who is 20-1 all-time against his former players and assistant coaches, including Smith - is concerned about his team's ability to rebound against UK. Florida outrebounded Louisville 40-26, and the Cardinals allowed an overmatched North Carolina A&T squad 19 offensive boards in their most recent game.
Defensively, the Wildcats must find a way to slow down Taquan Dean and Francisco Garcia, who average 17 and 16.1 points, respectively. In last year's 65-56 win over UK, Garcia scored all 10 of his points in the second half.
Kelenna Azubuike, UK's leading scorer, also has developed into a defensive stopper and welcomes the challenge of guarding the 6-7 Garcia.
"I'd like to guard him," Azubuike said. "I like trying to guard whoever will be their best player. It makes me a better defensive player when I've got the responsibility of guarding good people."
That's not oversimplifying things, according to those on both sides of the annual grudge match between ninth-ranked Kentucky (6-1) and the No. 13 Cardinals (6-1). "I guess you would have to say that," Louisville center Ellis Myles said.
Kentucky seemed to have found a formula for success last Saturday in a win over Indiana: pound the ball inside and let 6-foot-6 Chuck Hayes, 6-10 Randolph Morris and 7-foot Shagari Alleyne wreak as much havoc as possible. The Wildcats also are deep, with nine players averaging 10 minutes or more per game.
By contrast, Louisville's rotation consists of only seven players, and 6-8 forward Otis George is not at 100 percent after missing the past three games with a pre-stress fracture in his right foot. George and 6-8 forward Juan Palacios are the Cardinals' tallest regulars.
The Cardinals' lack of depth causes coach Rick Pitino such concern that he described a 74-70 win over Florida last Saturday - when his starters each played 31 or more minutes and the Cardinals experienced significant foul trouble - as "the most uncomfortable I've been as a head coach. The most uncomfortable feeling, every second of that game. I felt like my brain was going to erupt.
"I'm glad that game is over. We're still thin. Playing against Kentucky with only one sub is bad enough, but at least we can substitute a frontcourt player."
But the lack of depth hasn't stopped the Cardinals from playing an up-tempo style that emphasizes taking advantage of transition opportunities. It has been effective the past two years against UK, as the Wildcats have jumped to an early lead, only to make uncharacteristic mistakes down the stretch.
The key to beating Louisville is "not being caught up and allowing Louisville to force you to play their style," UK coach Tubby Smith said. "I thought that happened to us in the past. We tried to match 3-point shots and we had the wrong people taking the wrong shots at the wrong time. We didn't make the extra pass. It's critical."
Smith wants UK to slow the tempo and run set plays, hoping to take advantage of the Wildcats' size advantage inside.
"We feel like that's one of the things we're doing better," Smith said. "We're not shooting the ball well from the outside. We're shooting it better inside."
Pitino - who is 20-1 all-time against his former players and assistant coaches, including Smith - is concerned about his team's ability to rebound against UK. Florida outrebounded Louisville 40-26, and the Cardinals allowed an overmatched North Carolina A&T squad 19 offensive boards in their most recent game.
Defensively, the Wildcats must find a way to slow down Taquan Dean and Francisco Garcia, who average 17 and 16.1 points, respectively. In last year's 65-56 win over UK, Garcia scored all 10 of his points in the second half.
Kelenna Azubuike, UK's leading scorer, also has developed into a defensive stopper and welcomes the challenge of guarding the 6-7 Garcia.
"I'd like to guard him," Azubuike said. "I like trying to guard whoever will be their best player. It makes me a better defensive player when I've got the responsibility of guarding good people."
