In the world of men’s college basketball, Louisville measures itself against its eternal in-state foe Kentucky, and the feeling is mutual.
In that sense, the 2020s have belonged to the Wildcats, who had their way with the Chris Mack, Kenny Payne and Pat Kelsey regimes in the Bourbon City—until Tuesday.
Led by guard Mikel Brown Jr.’s 29-point outing, the No. 12 Cardinals dispatched No. 9 Kentucky 96–88. That set off a wild celebration among the Louisville faithful, without a win over the Wildcats since the pandemic-clouded days of Dec. 2020.
Among the revelers: Kelsey, who per SI’s Pat Forde dislocated his finger celebrating the victory. He showed off his splint to reporters postgame.
Louisville injury report: Pat Kelsey dislocated a finger in the postgame victory celebration after beating Kentucky. pic.twitter.com/vqvzLCTFZt
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) November 12, 2025The Cardinals enjoyed a nice turnaround in 2025, but lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament amid a down year across the ACC. Still, Kelsey was named Coach of the Year in the conference—the third different league in which he has won the honor, joining the Big South (2021 at Winthrop) and Coastal (2024 at College of Charleston).
Louisville is scheduled to host Ohio on Saturday, while coach Mark Pope and Kentucky have a Friday tune-up against Eastern Illinois before a potential ranked-ranked clash with Michigan State.
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