LEXINGTON -- Kentucky and Louisville renewed their annual rivalry Saturday afternoon at Rupp Arena with the No. 12 Wildcats prevailing 75-73 over the 16th-ranked Cardinals.

Kentucky (10-2) led 75-70 and then held on for the win as a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Louisville guard Damion Lee fell short. It was coach John Calipari's 200th victory at Kentucky.

"It's a great win for this group," Calipari said. "They do know this is who we have to be and how we have to play -- that kind of energy, that kind of aggressiveness, that kind of attack. And against a really good team. Louisville's going to do damage. They will be one of those teams left standing. We may have them again."

Sophomore guard Tyler Ulis paced the Wildcats with 21 points, 15 coming in the first half.

"Courage," Calipari said. "He's not afraid to miss. That's Tyler."

Senior forward Alex Poythress added 14 points, junior guard Dominique Hawkins 13 and freshman guard Jamal Murray 12.

Lee scored a game-high 27 points for the Cardinals (11-2). Guard Trey Lewis added 15.

The game was a back-and-affair until something potentially bad turned into something good for Kentucky. With 3:04 left in the first half and the score tied 30-30, Calipari was called for a technical foul. Seconds later, Louisville led 34-30 but from that point forward and into the early second half, the Wildcats went on a 22-2 run to grab their largest lead at 52-36.

Poythress led the run with seven points, including six straight early in the second half. Hawkins came off the bench for five.

Louisville then ripped off its own 11-3 run to pull within 55-47 with 11:24 to play. The Cardinals continued the comeback by making it a 28-13 run to close to 65-64 with 5:19 to play. However, Louisville could never regain the lead and a critical 3-pointer from Hawkins with 2:18 left pushed Kentucky back on top 73-68.

Hawkins, who entered the day with only two 3-pointers this season, had three in the game. His 15 points were a career best for the native of Richmond, Ky.

"Never changed his emotion the whole time," Calipari said of Hawkins. "He defended, he'll fight like crazy. He's got a great temperament, a great demeanor. One of the great kids of all time."

The Wildcats opened the game fast, grabbing a 13-4 lead inside the first five minutes. Ulis led the flurry with eight of the 13 points. He would finish the half with 15 points.

The Cardinals closed the gap to take their first lead at 20-19 on the second of three straight 3-pointers. Lewis had two and Lee one. It was the beginning of a 12-2 run by the Cardinals.

Kentucky freshman guard Isaiah Briscoe, considered a key component with his defensive ability to shutdown Louisville's Lee, suffered a left ankle injury during warmups, about an hour before the game. He was pulled from the starting lineup minutes before tipoff.

"He's a fighter," Calipari said of Briscoe. "Now, what he'll do is he'll come back and kill people next week, if his ankle is healthy, because that's how he is."

The Wildcats return to action on Jan. 2 when Ole Miss visits Kentucky to start Southeastern Conference play. Louisville opens Atlantic Coast Conference play on Jan. 3 when Wake Forest comes to the KFC Yum! Center.

NOTES: Kentucky and Louisville came into Saturday's game heading in opposite directions. Kentucky was once No. 1 and had fallen to No. 12. Louisville started the season unranked, but had climbed to No. 16. ... Wildcats coach John Calipari is now 8-1 against Rick Pitino in the Louisville rivalry ... Kentucky played Louisville coming off a loss to Ohio State the previous Saturday. Calipari's Kentucky teams are now 29-6 in bounce back games heading into Saturday's meeting.