On Thursday night, Kentucky Basketball dismantled the Louisville Cardinals 95-76. It was another strong performance from the No. 9 ranked team in the country. However, the loss sparked calls for Kenny Payne's job at Louisville, but John Calipari defended the Cardinals coach.

During the postgame presser, Calipari spoke about some of the close losses the Cardinals have had this season. Additionally, he made sure to point out that Louisville has an incredibly young team right now, per Kent Spacer of WHAS News. The Kentucky basketball head coach spoke about Kenny Payne for roughly two minutes.

It's actually really cool of John Calipari to hype up Kenny Payne like this. He didn't have to at all. However, it appears Calipari believes Payne just needs the time to develop his young team. That's something the Louisville athletic director may believe as well, as Josh Heird claimed that Kenny Payne's job is safe for now, even though the rumor mill has been buzzing about Payne's job status.

As for the Wildcats, they're humming through the season so far as one of the top teams in the nation. They're currently 9-2, as of this publishing, and look to be a real contender for the tournament in March. As usual, John Calipari has Kentucky basketball playing at a high level and they should remain at the top of the rankings throughout the season.

The Wildcats will take on Illinois State on December 29. Meanwhile Louisville won't play again until January 3 against No. 22 ranked Virginia.