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Kentucky vs. Louisville live stream: Betting odds, TV channel, prediction

By Mike Phillips

CLEVELAND, OHIO - DECEMBER 19: Davion Mintz #10 of the Kentucky Wildcats drives down court during the first half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on December 19, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - DECEMBER 19: Davion Mintz #10 of the Kentucky Wildcats drives down court during the first half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on December 19, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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Kentucky will look to snap a five-game losing streak against Louisville.

There are a lot of good college basketball games this week but one of the matchups that has slipped under the radar is the annual battle for Kentucky. Neither Louisville nor Kentucky is ranked, but this game has a major desperation factor for the Wildcats.

This season certainly hasn’t gone according to plan for Kentucky, which is just 1-5 after a string of rough non-conference losses to teams like Richmond, Notre Dame and North Carolina. The absence of Keion Brooks due to a lingering leg injury has hurt but there has also been turmoil within the program.

John Calipari suspended Cam’Ron Fletcher this week after the freshman erupted in anger on the bench during the Tar Heels’ loss, issuing a tweet saying that Fletcher needed to do some soul searching. It appears that Calipari is hoping that the suspension will remove a bit of negative energy from Kentucky’s team, allowing the Wildcats to build on solid efforts in their past few games to finally get back in the win column.

This contest is also important to Louisville, which came off of a COVID pause and got drilled by Wisconsin before topping Pittsburgh by ten in its ACC opener. The Cardinals are off to a solid 5-1 start and would love to add to Kentucky’s misery by sending the Wildcats to a sixth straight loss.

Time is running out for Kentucky to pick up quality wins to impress the NCAA Tournament’s selection committee, especially with a weaker than usual SEC. Picking up a win here is simply imperative for the Wildcats if they want to have a good shot at an at-large bid in March.

How to bet and watch Kentucky at Louisville

  • Date: Saturday, Dec. 26
  • Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
  • Location: Louisville, KY
  • Venue: KFC Yum! Center
  • TV: ESPN
  • Live Stream: WatchESPN
  • Line: Louisville -3.5 (FanDuel)
  • Prediction: Louisville 75, Kentucky 70

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