Mold Remediation in Louisville, KY

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- It's a new chapter in the Kentucky-Louisville basketball rivalry and it seems more friendly.

After winning their respective trap games Wednesday night, both Louisville coach Pat Kelsey and Kentucky's Mark Pope spoke in respectful tones of each other ahead of the latest edition of the Bluegrass basketball blood feud scheduled at 5:15 p.m. Friday in Rupp Arena.

Truth be told, it hasn't been much of a feud lately. Kentucky has won 13 of the past 16 meetings. Each of Louisville's wins in that span has been by three points (and one was vacated by the NCAA). Kentucky has won by an average of 11.8 points, including blowout wins the past two seasons against Kenny "I just want to win by one" Payne.

Speaking with Bob Valvano after his team's three-point win over UTEP on Wednesday, Kelsey said of Kentucky, "They're very, very good. Very good. I think if the season ended right now, I'm just being honest, I think Mark Pope would probably be a front-runner for National Coach of the Year. They're deep. They're physical. They're big. They're skilled. Obviously, the venue's a tough place to play, so we know the challenge that's ahead of us. And we'll work our butt off here over the next couple days and get ready to go down to play a big one."

Pope played against Louisville for a couple of Rick Pitino-coached teams at Kentucky.

"I'm well aware of the beauty of this rivalry," he said, illustrating well his knack for positive description.

But he also acknowledges the obvious, for both sides, the players have no experience with it. And he said there's little chance of him being able to convey the passion behind it to them.

"The answer is probably no," he said, when asked. "You probably have to experience it to do it. ... I have seasoned guys. I have guys that have played in big-time rivalry games. It's not a foreign concept to them. It's just a little level up, right? It will not be unfamiliar to our guys. It's exciting. It's awesome. We love it and we hate it and all of those things."

Kentucky is 9-1 and ranked No. 5 in the nation. Louisville is 6-4 after Wednesday's win ended a three-game losing streak, all to teams in the top 20. A quick look at three matchups that could frame the contest:

If the matchup materializes (Butler has been out for the past two games with an ankle injury) it will be a matchup of nationally premier point guards. As you'd expect, they drive these teams.

That's certainly true of Louisville, where Hepburn, a transfer from Wisconsin with big-game starting experience, leads Louisville at 14.6 points and 4.6 assists per game. In very similar fashion, Butler, a transfer from San Diego State, is the metronome for Kentucky's team, averaging 12.6 points, 3.9 assists and 3.1 rebounds, while shooting 55 percent from the field.

Both are also outstanding defenders. Hepburn is probably being asked to play too many minutes after his backup, Koren Johnson, suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Butler's backup, too, is lost for the season. Kerr Kriisa underwent ankle surgery earlier this week. And Butler's status remains in doubt, though coaches were hopeful he could return.

"Lamont is getting a little bit better," Pope said after Butler missed Wednesday's game against Colgate. "He's on the court a little bit today. Every day we test him a little more and see, we will know more tomorrow morning when he wakes up how he's feeling. It's kind of a throw it out there today and see what we end up with when he wakes up. We will know a little bit more and I would prefer he re-joins our team on the floor sometime soon."

If he can't, Jaxson Robinson, who played the point for Pope at BYU, will handle the duties.

Regardless, the point guard situation will be a major storyline.

In 7-foot, 260-pound Amari Williams, Kentucky has an interior presence that Louisville does not. A big-time rim protector averaging 1.8 blocks per game, Williams was the Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year last season at Drexel. His 10 rebounds per game add an element that Louisville has not had.

The Cardinals have some promising young players in the backcourt, namely 6-foot-11-inch James Scott and 6-foot-8-inch freshman Khani Rooths, but neither is the physical presence of Williams. Noah Waterman, a 6-foot-11-inch grad transfer who is one of two players on Louisville's roster who played for Pope last season at BYU, has been more active on the perimeter than an interior presence. The team's best rebounder has been 6-foot-6-inch J'Vonne Hadley, a battler on the boards and a solid interior scorer who has had some success posting up opposing guards.

Kentucky also has success inside with versatile big man Andrew Carr, a Wake Forest transfer who is an inside-out threat and a catalyst for the Wildcats team, as well as 6-foot-10-inch sophomore Brandon Garrison.

Kentucky figures to have an edge down low, though how much they will look to exploit it will be one of the questions heading into this game.

Both coaches would like to see their teams get up at least 35 three-pointers per game. Kentucky has been falling short of that number lately, a concern that Pope has made a point to voice.

"For us it's just the volume," Pope said after the Colgate win. "Our volume has been down and it's been a little frustrating to me. Kerr (Kriisa) has been one of the big catalysts for us. Not only is our volume down for us but we lost one of our catalysts. We are going to rediscover ways to get back to that part of our game. I was happy to get over 30 (against Colgate)."

The Kentucky three-point attack is led by Koby Brea, one of the best three-point shooters in the country at 56.1% (32-57). He's one of four Kentucky players who shoot it 36 percent or better from beyond the arc (Carr, Otega Oweh and Ainsley Amonor are the others). Butler and Trent Noah are at 33%, and Kentucky is shooting it at 35.5% as a team, averaging 28.7 attempts per game.

Louisville has had no problem finding three-point attempts. The Cardinals average 31.8 threes per game and take better than half their shots from beyond the arc. The problem is that they're making just 27% of their threes. Only one player on the team shoots it better than 33%, and that's graduate transfer Reyne Smith, who is 37.1% beyond the arc. Hepburn is next-best at 32.6% (15-46).

Do not expect either team to stop firing away. Kelsey told Valvano, "Our shooting, the process is elite, good shooters, they work on their game. We pour confidence into them, and those things are going to start falling. I know it, I know it. I know it."

Kentucky has played some of the better three-point defense in the nation this season, and has been an elite defensive rebounding team. Louisville has been among the better offensive rebounding teams in the country.

With key matchups at all three levels – point guard, interior and behind the three-point line – the game very well could come down to who is making threes. Kentucky would look to have more options to score in other ways, however, which is why the Wildcats will be a favorite in this game.

Depth figures to be a factor, too. Louisville is without three players who play significant minutes. You can't just draw up a plan on the blackboard to overcome that, though Kelsey is trying. These are two of the most experienced teams in the country with two of the most creative young coaches in the game.

The new-look rivalry should be a fun matchup, though with Louisville's injury situation, the result could be similar to many in recent years.

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Kentucky will be without Kerr Kriisa against Louisville on Saturday, but could the Wildcats have Lamont Butler back out there to ease the load at point guard?

“Lamont is getting a little bit better,” Head coach Mark Pope said after UK’s 78-67 win over Colgate on Wednesday night. “He was on the court a little bit today. Every day is kinda like we test him a little bit more and kinda see — we’ll know more tomorrow morning when he wakes up how he’s feeling, right?“

Butler, Pope’s starting point guard and arguably Kentucky’s most consistent player so far this season, has been sidelined for two games now. He rolled his ankle during the second half of the Wildcats’ loss to Clemson back on Dec. 3. Although he toughed it out and played the rest of that game, the pain kept him from taking the floor against Gonzaga and Colgate. Kentucky won both of those games, but not without issues that could have been solved by having Butler manning the controls.

“I would prefer if he rejoins our team on the floor sometime soon,” Pope said with a smile.

Through eight games played this season, Butler is averaging 12.9 points, 3.9 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 22.5 minutes per outing. His on-ball defense alone makes him a necessity for Kentucky’s success, but his offensive game has come along nicely as well this season. He’s shooting 55.1 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from deep.

Kentucky has been able to get buy with sliding Jaxson Robinson over to point guard the last two times out, but Butler is needed to reach this team’s ceiling. Him missing the Louisville game on Saturday would not be ideal for the ‘Cats, especially with Kriisa also out.

“I’m hoping that he’s feeling great. We’d like to get him back as soon as possible,” Pope said. “We want to see him out here playing.”

Tipoff against the Cardinals on Saturday at Rupp Arena is set for 5:15 p.m. EST on ESPN.

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville tight end Jamari Johnson plans to enter his name into the transfer portal, his representation announced Wednesday. It is unlikely that he will play in Louisville’s upcoming bowl.

The 6-foot-5, 265-pound tight end was limited to just seven games off the bench this season after suffering a season-ending ankle injury on Oct. 19 vs. Miami. While he finished the season with just 13 receptions for 158 yards and a touchdown, at the time of his injury, the yardage mark was fourth on the team while the reception total was fifth.

The Inglewood, Calif native was one of the top prospects to sign with the Cardinals in the 2023 cycle, but saw minimal run during his true freshman season due to injury. He ranked as high as the No. 190 prospect in the Class of 2023, per 247Sports' in-house rankings, and came in as the 338th-ranked prospect in the 247Sports Composite.

Johnson is the 13th Louisville player to announce that he will enter the transfer portal since the end of the regular season last weekend, and the 15th overall. So far, the Cardinals have landed just one portal commitment.

Related: Louisville Football 2024-25 Transfer Tracker

Monday, Dec. 9 marked the first day of college football’s 30-day winter transfer portal window. Players will then have until Saturday, Dec. 28 to enter the portal under current NCAA guidelines.

Louisville finished the 2024 regular season, the second under head coach Jeff Brohm, with an 8-4 overall record and 5-3 mark in ACC play. The Cardinals will cap off the year with a matchup against Washington in the Sun Bowl on New Year's Eve.

(Photo of Jamari Johnson: Clare Grant - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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Louisville basketball has one final tuneup before squaring off against its archrival, No. 5 Kentucky, this weekend.

The Cardinals (5-4, 0-1 ACC) host UTEP (6-2) today at the KFC Yum! Center looking to end a three-game losing streak.

Down to only eight healthy scholarship players, head coach Pat Kelsey said after Sunday's loss to then-No. 9 Duke that he's still "figuring out what buttons to push to get this team to be the best that they can be." U of L led the Blue Devils for nearly 30 minutes and by as many as 14 points during the first half but allowed the Blue Devils to take control after the break.

Led by fourth-year coach Joe Golding, UTEP has won five of its past six games and comes in at 150th on KenPom.com's adjusted efficiency rankings. The Miners rank 41st in the country with a 55.6% minutes continuity from a team that went 18-16 last season. This is their first matchup with a high-major opponent.

Here's what you need to know to follow today's game from home:

Louisville vs UTEP basketball start time

U of L and UTEP are scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. today inside the Yum! Center.

Louisville vs UTEP basketball betting odds, score predictions

Betting odds: Louisville is a 15 ½-point home favorite (-105) on BetMGM, which set the over/under at 144 ½ points (-110). The money line odds are U of L -1200, UTEP +750.

Score predictions: KenPom.com gives the Cards an 88% chance of winning and projects a 77-65 final score in their favor. BartTorvik.com is also forecasting a Louisville victory (83%), with a projected final score of 77-67.

What channel is Louisville vs UTEP basketball on today?

The game between U of L and UTEP will not air on a traditional TV channel.

It's on ACC Network Extra, which is available exclusively via livestream. Jody Demling (play-by-play) and Larry O'Bannon (analyst) will have the call.

If your cable or live TV streaming package includes ACC Network, you have access to ACC Network Extra. You can watch via ESPN.com/watch or the ESPN app after logging in with your cable or live TV streaming service credentials.

How to listen to Louisville vs UTEP on the radio

Paul Rogers (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst) will have the call on the Cardinal Sports Network (WLCL 93.9-FM and WGTK 970-AM in Louisville).

You can also listen online via GoCards.com.

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Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.

Louisville has a ton of iconic landmarks, and if this impressive Renaissance Revival building were still around today, it would be at the top of the list.

The former U.S. Post Office and Customs House was built at the intersection of 4th and Chestnut streets in 1892. The stone structure stood five-stories tall with an ornamental steeple on its southwest corner, which could be seen from miles around. Imagine seeing that from Fourth Street Live! instead of the apartments there today.

At the time, the federal building was considered such a magnificent piece of Derby City architecture that it even appeared on postcards.

It housed government offices and served as a post office for ~40 years. Inside, its towering atrium was used for public events, like galas and concerts.

In 1933, with the need for more space, the offices all moved three blocks away to the newly built Gene Snyder Federal Building on Broadway. In the midst of the Great Depression, the old building sat vacant for a decade and became known as Louisville’s most grand pigeon roost, which isn’t exactly postcard-worthy. It was demolished in 1943.

Fun fact: Demolition of the building created materials used in the American World War II effort. Here’s a breakdown:

Following demolition, the land briefly became an urban green space, called Lincoln Park, until 1950. Then it was occupied by department stores through the 1970s and converted into offices through the 2010s.

Today, it’s home to the Edge on 4th Luxury Apartments, which were built in 2018, and the corner, once home to that ornamental steeple, is now a parking garage.