Cats Relying on Mix of Experience, Youth in UofL Road Test

Dominique Hawkins doesn’t deny it: This game means something special to him.

Intimately familiar with the rivalry as a Richmond, Kentucky, native, Hawkins has a perspective unique on his team when it comes to Kentucky-Louisville.

“It means a little bit more to me since I’m from the state,” Hawkins said. “I guess other guys that are new here or from different states don’t really know about the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry, but it’s going to be a great game tomorrow.”

If history is any indication, Hawkins is likely to play a great game himself when No. 6/5 Kentucky (10-1) travels to the KFC Yum! Center on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. matchup with the No. 10/11 Cardinals (10-1). Hawkins has been around for four UK-UofL games – all wins – and two of his best performances as a Wildcat came in the game that means so much to him.

As a freshman, Hawkins embraced the challenge of checking All-American Russ Smith, helping Kentucky to a Sweet 16 upset of the Cardinals. He didn’t score a point in the game, but made up for that two seasons later when he scored a career-best 13 points in UK’s 75-73 victory on Dec. 20 of last year.

“I had my best performance that game,” Hawkins said.

Some players might be negatively affected by the added juice of playing an in-state rival, but not Hawkins. There’s something about him that allows him to channel the emotion.

“Probably has a little edge that my other guys don’t, being from the state,” John Calipari said. “That game, probably, being here and being a Kentucky fan his whole life, I would imagine he’s probably not a Louisville fan, then. You’re not both. So probably meant a little bit more, but he was great. He made shots and he made daggers. Came up with balls. He was good.”

Even better on that day was star point guard Tyler Ulis, who, like Hawkins, had a knack for coming up big against the Cards. His 21-point, eight-assist performance last year came on the heels of a freshman-year effort in which he had 14 points and a memorable cut above the eye that exemplified the kind of toughness needed to cope with a rugged Louisville defense.

“I feel like we kind of have to have that,” Derek Willis said. “Definitely in practice with the stuff we’re doing. We’re being a lot more physical with each other. Rebounding drills, we do every day now. Defensive stuff. Just a learning process of trying to get where we need to be.”

Coach Cal knows he doesn’t have to worry about Hawkins on that front, whose performance last season helped compensate for the absence of Isaiah Briscoe. Briscoe missed the game with a sprained ankle sustained warming up before the game and will be making his UK-UofL debut on Wednesday, barring a repeat of last season.

Though there are no guarantees, Calipari has a good feeling Briscoe will handle himself just fine.

“This is his kind of game,” Calipari said.

As for the other UK-UofL newbies, there’s a little more uncertainty. Hawkins has watched enough freshman teammates go through playing an away game for the first time to know that.

“It’s probably because everybody gets a little nervous during their first true road game,” Hawkins said. “But once you get going the butterflies go away. Louisville is a great team, they’re a top-10 team, so it’s going to be hard coming in their place and win.”

It’s not as if this is the first big stage UK has played on though. Nor will it be the last.

“You’re going to have away games and the fans are going to be on you a lot,” said freshman Malik Monk, who scored 47 points against North Carolina last weekend. “That’s basketball. You just got to get used to it.”