Louisville vs. Kentucky: How to watch, odds, predictions from ESPN, KenPom

Kentucky and Louisville are set to battle inside Rupp Arena Saturday afternoon to renew one of college basketball’s most bitter rivalries. Neither team is having the season they expected, so both squads can consider this matchup a must-win heading into the full slate of their respective conference play.

How to watch Kentucky vs. Louisville

Tip-off: Noon ET

Location: Rupp Arena – Lexington, Kentucky

Channel: CBS

Vegas odds

Kentucky is a 23.5-point favorite over Louisville Saturday, according to VegasInsider. The over-under is set at 137.5 points.

ESPN BPI prediction

Predicted winner: Kentucky

Predicted point differential: 26.5

Win probability (for Kentucky): 98.5%

Matchup quality: 50.5

ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a tool that measures team strength and uses that to predict outcomes of future performances.

KenPom prediction

Predicted final score: Kentucky 79, Louisville 56

Win probability (for Kentucky): 98%

KenPom is another tool that provides advanced analysis across college basketball. Like ESPN, KenPom projects that Kentucky comes away with a victory over Louisville.

More on Kentucky vs. Louisville

The sky feels like it’s falling for both Kentucky and Louisville’s basketball programs.

The Cards started the season with nine-straight losses before winning two in a row earlier this month. They’ve dropped consecutive games against Lipscomb and NC State heading into Saturday’s rivalry matchup.

For Kentucky, they’ve gone from a preseason top-five ranking to having no Quad 1 victories heading into the New Year. Aside from pancake games against mid-major opponents, the ‘Cats are 1-4 in games that actually matter – and the losses haven’t been pretty. Kentucky has been prone to getting blown out this year by legitimate competition.

If head coach John Calipari wants to silence the droves of doubters – for at least a weekend – Kentucky cannot lose to Louisville. This loss would hurt Big Blue Nation the same way the Evansville loss in 2019 did, or the Saint Peter’s loss last year. Winning for Kentucky is non-negotiable.