The Kentucky Wildcats were up as much as 16 points but the Louisville Cardinals made a comeback for the ages and ended up only losing by two points in Rupp Arena. Louisville should’ve lost by double digits but Damion Lee proved to be the real deal today. There are a ton of good things that Louisville did but here are a few things that allowed Kentucky to claw for a 75-73 victory.

Tyler Ulis is pretty good

This was the one man who dominated Louisville all game long. He made three after three and was a pest on defense. It looked like he was making shots from anywhere he wanted. Ulis even blocked Quentin Snider’s layup in a fast-break. He had 21 points, eight assists, and only one turnover. Louisville couldn’t guard him for the second year in a row and his elbow seems to be fine. Ulis played like one of the best point guards in the nation and that will only continue from here on out.

Damion Lee continues to impress

In the second half there were more bright spots for Louisville. One of those was how well Lee played for Louisville. He finished the game with 27 points and sparked the UofL run. He missed the shot at the end that would’ve won it but that’s nitpicking. He proved himself to be one of the best players on the court and will only get better from here.

Hawkins was difference maker with no Briscoe

In warmups, UK starter Isaiah Briscoe rolled his ankle and was ruled out of the game. Freshman Charles Matthews was listed as the starter today but Dominique Hawkins shined. If UofL was supposed to leave one player open from three, everyone was okay with it being Hawkins. That was until he hit three long range bombs and a couple free throws that led to 13 points on the day. That’s a career high for him and proved to be a much needed boost off the bench for the Cats.

Donovan Mitchell is ready for Louisville 

He was another bright spot for the Cardinals and proved that as a freshman he can contribute. He had a big time game off the bench with eight points, five rebounds and three assists. That’s not a ton of points but whenever he was on the floor, he was electric. Mitchell even threw down a monstrous dunk in the second half despite only being 6’3". After a zero-point performance from Quentin Snider, Mitchell could be line for some starting time.

This was a tough game to swallow for the Louisville fans. They fought back from being down 16 but without Mathiang, this was just too much to come out of. They proved to still be a good team but still need a top 100 win to hang their hat on. The Wildcats proved to be better than expected. Tyler Ulis led the charge for the Wildcats to help them hold on to a great win.