A new chapter began in the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry on Saturday and Lamont Butler wrote the first paragraph.
The fifth-ranked Wildcats (10-1) began the next decade of the storied series with a 93-85 win over the Cardinals, giving Kentucky coach Mark Pope his first win as coach in the rivalry.
For the first time, both programs featured first-year coaches on the sidelines. Cardinals coach Pat Kelsey made his debut in the series, and his gritty squad gave the hosts all they could handle before dropping their third straight game to the Wildcats.
It was Butler who added his name to the list of standout performers in the rivalry and scored a career-high 33 points in his return to the lineup. Coming off an injury after missing the past two games, Butler played 32 minutes and was a perfect 10-for-10 from the field, making all six of his attempts from behind the arc. Before his outing against the Cardinals, Butler had made seven 3-pointers this season. Butler was named Most Valuable Player by The Bluegrass Sports Commission.
Pope said the showing by Butler ranks among the top performances in rivalry.
“My goodness, what an incredible (game). I mean, Lamont Butler just gave us one of the all-time greatest performances in the history of this super special game,” the Kentucky coach said. “It’s all time. The numbers back it up. The way he came into it backs it up.”
Butler, who didn’t get the full clearance to return to the court until Friday, wasn’t aware of his perfect stat line until a postgame interview with ESPN announcer Jay Bilas.
“I was just out there playing, just being myself and playing comfortable,” he said. “I knew my shot was falling from the three-point line. I was just trying to get downhill and draw fouls and be able to make plays for my teammates.”
Kelsey wasn’t surprised by Butler’s performance and added his presence impacted the outcome of the game, He called Butler a “warrior” and a “winner.”
“Lamont Butler was magnificent,” the Louisville coach said. “I still see that kid in my nightmares, because we played against them when I was the head coach at the College of Charleston, and he was the point guard at San Diego State and we played an epic battle in the first round (of the NCAA Tournament). … He made tough shots, big shots. We had momentum and he stopped the momentum with a lot of those threes (he made).”
In addition to his hot shooting, Butler dished out six of his team’s 23 assists. It marked the school’s third-best performance from the field and was the most 3-pointers made against Louisville since Jeff Brassow buried six against the Cardinals in 1990.
Butler missed the two previous games but was a steady presence for the Wildcats on both ends of the court. The veteran guard scored 12 points in the first half. He was 4-4 from the field and made both of his 3-point attempts.
He picked off where he left off to open the second half and scored nine of Kentucky’s first 11 points to open the final half. He buried three straight 3-pointers and scored Kentucky’s first nine points of the half. He scored 21 points in the second half and popped a 3-pointer as the shot clock expired after Garrison made a hustle play to retain possession with 6:40 left.
“I think that he did a great job just letting the game come to him and he knocked down the shots that were open,” said Kentucky guard Jaxson Robinson, who finished with 12 points. “He went perfect from the field, so you couldn't ask for a better performance.”
Led by Butler, Kentucky shot a blistering 52 percent behind the arc, connecting on 11-of-21 3-pointers, including six in the second half. Overall, the Wildcats shot 58 percent from the field and was 71 percent early in the first half.
Otega Oweh followed Butler with 17 points as five players finished in double figures. Andrew Carr and Koby Brea had 10 points each.
NEXT GAME: Kentucky vs. Ohio State, CBS Sports Classic, 4:30 p.m. Central, Saturday. TV/Radio: CBS, UK Radio Network - SuperTalk 94.3 WKYX, WiLLiE 102.
Photo by Les Nicholson - Kentucky Today
