Louisville, KY (Betting Express) - Non-conference rivals will collide at Freedom Hall this afternoon, as the 18th-ranked Louisville Cardinals battle the Kentucky Wildcats.

Expect Kentucky to play with a wealth of confidence this afternoon, as the team has won six straight games. The Wildcats, who are 11-3 overall, are coming off an 84-52 decision over Central Michigan on Monday. They have only played one true road game to date, and that tilt resulted in a 19-point loss to top-ranked North Carolina on November 18th.

As for Louisville, it has lost two of its last three games after a blistering 7-1 start to the season. On Wednesday, the Cardinals suffered a heartbreaking defeat against UNLV in a 56-55 final. The other losses came against Western Kentucky and Minnesota, surprising considering the lofty expectations of Rick Pitino's team entering this season.

Kentucky owns a 26-13 series lead over Louisville, including wins in three of the last four meetings with the Cardinals.

Kentucky relies heavily on the talents of two players, Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson. Meeks, an explosive guard, is netting 24.1 ppg on the strength of his 43.2 percent shooting from three-point range. In a victory over Appalachian State in mid-December, Meeks poured in 46 points, proof of his enormous ability. As for Patterson, a power forward, he provides 19.3 ppg and 9.4 rpg. The big man is shooting a staggering 72.2 percent from the field and has blocked 30 shots. In the 32-point romp over Central Michigan last time out, Meeks posted 23 points on the strength of a 5-of-8 showing from behind the arc. As for Patterson, he finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. Michael Porter and Josh Harrellson pitched in 12 points apiece for the Wildcats, who connected on 53.6 percent of their field goal attempts and racked up 22 assists. Defensively, they limited the overmatched Chippewas to 31 percent shooting from the floor.

The best player for Louisville so far this season has been freshman forward Samardo Samuels, who is averaging 14.7 ppg on 54.5 percent shooting from the floor. More than just a scorer, Samuels is pulling down 7.0 rpg as well. Earl Clark provides 13.1 ppg and 8.6 rpg for the Cardinals, who are getting 11.6 ppg and 8.8 rpg from Terrence Williams. One of the most versatile players in the Big East Conference, Williams is also dishing out 5.0 apg and tops the roster with 26 steals. Louisville is averaging 76.2 ppg this season while holding opponents to 59.0 ppg on 37.4 percent shooting from the field. In the one-point loss to UNLV, Preston Knowles paced the Cardinals with 11 points, while Samuels and Clark both scored 10 points. Contributing significantly to the loss was the fact that Louisville shot just 29.6 percent from the field.