While Mitchell's hatred for Louisville runs deep, the first-year Kentucky coach said his players, especially his senior class, have different feelings.
"It's probably more about execution (with this group)," he said. "I'm sure as they look back on their careers, they would feel much better about beating Louisville winning one time than losing to them all four (years). I'm really hoping we can execute well enough (tonight) to win."
The Cardinals have been noted to force turnovers (23.7 per game), which concerns Mitchell.
"This game is going to be about taking care of the ball," he said. "They've had some monster games turning people over. Any help we can get from our team in taking care of the ball and keeping Louisville off the glass is going to help us be successful."
Injuries hobble UK women
To add to his team's frustration, point guard Carly Ormerod is battling a sore foot, and backup Amber Smith hurt her shoulder. A decision on Smith's status won't be made until game time.
"The lineup (is not one) that we have played with this year," he said. "We'll just have to see what we can do with team that we have. I (feel) good about our preparation, but the injuries have been tough."
Mitchell added that the Cardinals (7-2) enter the contest playing with confidence and pride his team is looking for.
"This is going to be a tough game for us going in," he said. "Louisville is a team that has been playing very, very well and off to a great start. They're playing with a lot of confidence and a lot of swagger.
"We have had a bit of a bumpy road, and we're not real happy to be sitting at 4-5, but the only way we can get our swagger back is to go out and win. You can't talk about it. You've got to go out and make some things happen."
Mitchell has gotten "steady" play from freshman forward Victoria Dunlap, who leads the team in steals with 18 and is averaging 9.1 points per game.
The Kentucky coach added that he would like to see more consistency from his entire unit instead of one player.
"That's one thing our team has had a hard time doing," he said.
Mitchell said a win over the Cardinals would give his team a boost.
"It would be a big shot in the arm," he said. "It's been hard for us to get a lot of confidence going because of the combination of things. It would be a tremendous lift for us going into the Christmas break."
