Where Lamont Butler's Performance Against Louisville Ranks Among All-Time Kentucky Basketball Greats

We didn’t know if Lamont Butler was going to play against Louisville. Boy, it’s a good thing he did. The Kentucky point guard was incredible against the Cards. His head coach couldn’t say enough about what Butler did at Rupp Arena.

“Unbelievable credit to him. My goodness what an incredible — Lamont Butler just gave us one of the all-time greatest performances in the history of his super special game,” Mark Pope said. “All-time. The numbers back it up. The way he came into it backs it up… I’m so proud of him.”

That’s not hyperbole. Butler went 10-10 from the floor, the third-most makes without a miss in Kentucky basketball history. His six made three-pointers ties a record for a Wildcat in the rivalry against Louisville. The only knock on his game is that he was 7-12 from the free throw line. If he would’ve made a few more, he’d have the record for most points by a Wildcat against Louisville. His 33 are just one shy of the record set by Derrick Miller in 1988.

Butler was the MVP of the 93-85 Kentucky win. It couldn’t be anyone else. He was the best player on the floor and arguably the best player to ever wear a Kentucky uniform against Louisville. Let’s stack his performance up against some others throughout this rivalry’s storied history.

Tyrese Maxey

You might forget, but Chris Mack actually took UofL to No. 1 in the AP Poll. They weren’t quite there when Louisville and Kentucky met at Rupp in 2019. The third-ranked Cards went toe-to-toe with the Wildcats in a game that was sent to overtime.

Nick Richards had a couple of big buckets down the stretch and Ashton Hagans ended the game with an authoritative dunk in transition, but Tyrese Maxey was the best player on the floor. The freshman knocked down 4-5 three-point attempts and grabbed seven rebounds en route to a 27-point performance in the 78-70 overtime win.

Tyler Ulis

You can make the case that nobody played better against Louisville in the John Calipari era than Tyler Ulis. In the infamous ‘bloody eye’ game, the freshman came off the bench and scored a team-high 14 points in the win between top-five foes. The following year, Ulis had 21 points and 8 assists in a two-point win at Rupp Arena.

The 2012 Kentucky Wildcats

If Lamont Butler had the best offensive performance vs. the Cards, Anthony Davis clearly owns sole possession of the best defensive game for a Kentucky Wildcat in this rivalry. The stakes had never been higher, the Final Four in New Orleans, and the Unibrow delivered an unprecedented performance. Davis had 18 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots in the 69-61 win.

In the previous matchup between the two teams that season, Davis had 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 blocks, but he wasn’t the star of the show. That belonged to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who had 24 points and 19 rebounds. Wowsers.

Jorts Pantsed Louisville

We thought there was a glaring hole in the middle of the paint on John Calipari’s second team. It was supposed to be occupied by Enes Kanter, who was declared ineligible by the NCAA. Instead, we were stuck with Josh Harrelson, a guy who infamously wore Jorts during his visit to Lexington, earning a nickname that would become a nightmare for Louisville fans. In the first rivalry game at the Yum! Center, Jorts could not be stopped. The 6-10 center made 10-12 shots, including a three-pointer, to score 23 points and grab 14 rebounds in a 15-point win over Louisville.

DeMarcus Cousins

We all remember when DeMarcus Cousins gave Jared Swopshire a little something-something. What you may not remember is that he had 18 points and 18 rebounds in that win. Eighteen. Rebounds.

Patrick Sparks Leads an Epic Kentucky Comeback

There aren’t many more memorable Kentucky-Louisville games than the 2004 matchup at Freedom Hall. Kentucky only scored 16 points in the first half. It set the table for one of the largest comebacks in school history. Patrick Sparks had 15 of his 25 points in the second half and his final three won the game for the Wildcats. Off of an out-of-bounds play, Sparks got Ellis Myles into the air on a pump fake, then drew a foul on a three-point attempt. To this day, Louisville fans contend that Sparks walked before the foul. He sank all three free throws to secure a 60-58 victory.

Tony Delk

During the historic 1996 National Championship season, Mark Pope and Tony Delk combined to score 32 points in an 89-66 win over the Cards. Delk had 30 of them behind a 10-17 night from the field, including four three-point makes.

Rex Chapman Dunked on Kenny Payne

Muhammad Ali was in the stands to watch Kenny Payne get put on a poster. That poster was in the Kentucky facility where his players often poked fun at the longtime Kentucky assistant coach. Rex Chapman had 26 points in the blowout victory. The following year, Louisville took the top-ranked team in the country to the bring, but Kentucky prevailed with a 1-point win. Chapman had 21 points in that win over the Cards.