Wildcats square off against Cardinals inside Rupp Arena
Ali Cetinok, Kentucky Kernel

After a convincing 82-56 win over UNC Greensboro on Sunday, which saw a great defensive game from the Cats, and a date in Minneapolis against Minnesota on Wednesday, Kentucky womens basketball is set to face Louisville on Sunday, Dec. 11, inside Rupp Arena.

Having lost their first matchup against a ranked opponent in the form of now No. 7 Virginia Tech, the Wildcats have won two in a row with convincing scores of 70-44 against Dayton and the aforementioned win over UNC Greensboro.

Now turning their sights to a formerly ranked squad, Elzy and the team have their eyes glued to Louisville, with the pair facing off in one of two games the womens team plays inside Rupp Arena every season.

Jeff Walz’s Cardinals squad currently sit at 6-4, despite starting the season 3-0, having been ranked No. 18 just one week ago with a win over then No.3 Texas.

Unfortunately for Walz, while the win was impressive, the team also has some not-so-impressive losses such as its first against Gonzaga in overtime, though the Bulldogs currently sit at No. 22 in the rankings, South Dakota State by double digits, No. 3 Ohio State and most recently at Middle Tennessee, with the 18-point loss finally leaving the Cards unranked.

Louisville is currently averaging 73.9 points per game with an average scoring margin of 6.5, shooting 43% from the field but only 31% from beyond the arc.

Hailey Van Lith is currently the Cards’ leading scorer with 19.9 points per game, shooting 39% from the field and 25% from three.

Louisville’s second biggest offensive threat is Chrislyn Carr, who’s field goal percentage is 42% from two-point range and 44% from beyond the arc, good for an average of 10 points per game.

On the other end of the court, expect to see Olivia Cochran be Louisville’s biggest threat in the paint with the 6-foot-3-inch forward averaging 7.2 rebounds per game.

Despite the Wildcats boasting a one-loss record and Louisville seeming to have a down year thus far, the rivalry game can not be underestimated by the Wildcats.

The Cardinals are more than capable of claiming victory with the game serving as a vital measuring stick of where Kyra Elzy’s squad is at before it begins SEC play.

With the power-five matchup against Minnesota set to take place before the matchup inside Rupp, the Cats can’t focus entirely on the Cardinals just yet as the team hopes to continue playing complementary basketball and improve more and more with each game.

Tipoff against the Cardinals is set for Dec. 11 at 1 p.m. EST inside Rupp Arena and can be watched live on ESPN.