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Kenny Payne Talks About Next Season’s Game Against Kentucky, John Calipari

Published

4 years ago

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Photo via Michael C. Johnson

Since taking the job at Louisville, Kenny Payne has rejuvenated the Cardinal fanbase with a (so far) underserved belief that they are returning to the top of college basketball, which in turn has somewhat resurrected the in-state rivalry.

In an interview with Jon Rothstein on Thursday, Payne opened up about his new job and talked about his relationship with John Calipari, the UK-UofL rivalry, and potential NCAA sanctions.

Let’s take a closer look at what was said.

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On John Calipari

John Calipari and Kenny Payne worked together for 11 seasons in Lexington and developed a close relationship. In today’s interview, Payne expressed his love and appreciation for Cal, calling him a friend, a mentor, and a person that he has learned so much from.

Unsurprisingly, Payne spoke to his mentor when considering the job and provided Cal’s reaction to the job offer, saying, “Cal was probably one of the first people to say, ‘Kenny it is an unbelievable job, it has great tradition, it has great facilities, it’s a basketball school. It’s your home. You have to seriously consider it and I hope you take it for you and for that community.’”

This shows that Calipari truly cares about Payne and the state of Kentucky as a whole. It is a big opportunity for Payne, and it is important for both the state’s economy and college basketball that Louisville and Kentucky perform well.

Payne also went on to open up about how Calipari influenced his players first philosophy. “Cal was the first real coach that I was around, that said, ‘let’s not as coaches worry about ourselves, let’s put these kids first. What can we do that will make their life easier? What can we do to make their job easier, and understand their success is in our hands?’ and I live by that,” Payne said.

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Kentucky-Louisville Rivalry Game

Given Calipari and Payne’s good relationship, the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry is set to look much different, with Payne even admitting so, saying, “It won’t be the negative hatred of John Calipari for me. It will be a game in that, I am going to try to do everything in my power to help my team win, and he’s going to do the same. I hope I win by 1, but we’ll see how that goes.”

I am sure the Big Blue Nation hopes the Cats win by 90, and Payne did say something to show that Calipari doesn’t want to take it easy on his longtime assistant, “Cal called me after he did a speech and he said ‘Kenny I gotta tell you what I said in this group, There will be one day a year when I am gonna try to beat Kenny Payne’s head in’”.

While the rivalry looks to be competitive once again, there no longer seems to be the negative feelings amongst the coaching staffs that there once was when Rick Pitino coached at Louisville.

Pending NCAA Investigation and Potential Sanctions

Over the last decade, Louisville has received a notice of allegations from the NCAA, seemingly on an annual basis. The most recent of which was was amended in 2021 and contains one Level I charge and six Level II charges, with some dating back to 2017.

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With that said, before taking the job, Payne talked with Louisville athletic director, Josh Heird, about the worst-case scenario.

“Without going into much detail because the case is still pending, when I heard what he said and I listened to it. Think about this, I’m with the New York Knicks. I have a great job, not a good job, a great job with the New York Knicks. If there was something really there to give me pause, I would have never taken the job. I took the job knowing feeling good about whatever they give us, is not going to be so severe that it destroys our program,” Payne said.

After clearing house and a lack of winning as a result, they hope the NCAA will give a softened blow when (if ever) they make a ruling, and Louisville seems confident that will happen.

Listen to the entirety of the interview here.

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Men's Basketball

National Reporter Matt Norlander Chooses Kentucky as Landing Spot for Star Forward Milan Momcilovic

Published

1 day ago

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May 28, 2026

By

Photo via Imagn Images

The Milan Momcilovic sweepstakes is underway, with multiple teams involved in the No. 2 overall transfer player’s recruitment. It is believed that Kentucky and Louisville are the top candidates after his decision to pull out from the 2026 NBA Draft on Wednesday, May 27.

Along with the in-state rivals, Arizona and St. John’s are both very well still in the mix, but the Red Storm are slowly falling out of contention after landing Baylor’s Tounde Yessoufou.

On May 28, national reporter Matt Norlander cleared the air on CBS Sports’ Eye On College Basketball podcast, stating that he believes Kentucky will land Momcilovic by the end of the weekend or Monday.

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“My prediction right now is that Milan Momcilovic will go to Kentucky,” Norlander said. “My understanding is that decision is going to come in the next one, two, three days, four days max.”

He would go on to talk about the other top programs involved, stating why he thinks they will be working in an uphill battle in this bidding war.

“My forecast is that it’s Kentucky, but you know, we’ll see if Louisville can get in there,” he continued. “Arizona I don’t think has the money to contend, like I think Kentucky and Louisville just have more money to play with.”

For the worried members of the Big Blue Nation, this is certainly good news to be put out by one of the most trusted college basketball reporters at the national level.

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Going by this report and Adam Zagoria’s from NYT Sports, it shouldn’t be long until a commitment decision for Momcilovic is announced publicly.

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Men's Basketball

BREAKING: No. 2 Ranked Transfer Milan Momcilovic Removes Name From 2026 NBA Draft

Published

2 days ago

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May 27, 2026

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Kamil Krzaczynski | Imagn Images

Milan Momcilovic has officially removed his named from the 2026 NBA Draft and will return to college for his senior season.

Kentucky leads in his recruitment, followed closely by St. John’s, Louisville and Arizona. A backdoor to Iowa State is also still open.

The No. 2 ranked transfer would be a huge addition to Kentucky’s 2026-27 roster if he committed, averaging 16.9 points per game on 50.6/48.7/87.8 shooting splits last year. Funny enough, in the current world of college athletics that we live in, Momcilovic was responsible for eliminating the Wildcats from the NCAA Tournament, dropping 20 points in the Round of 32.

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He would go on to lose to Tennessee in the Sweet 16 with Iowa State, so at least we know that there’s some inner-hatred for a long-standing rival if he ends up a Wildcat.

He made the most three-point shots in Division I basketball and is a versatile 6-foot-8 wing, which would fit perfectly into Mark Pope’s offensive system. He completed workouts with the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves during the draft process.

Now, the bidding war for the top dog begins, with some of the most prestigious programs in the sport placing their bets on the star forward.

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Men's Basketball

BREAKING: Malachi Moreno Set to Return to Kentucky for Sophomore Season

Published

5 days ago

on

May 24, 2026

By

Tristan Pharis | KY Insider

One of the biggest pieces of the 2026-27 roster has officially made a decision. Malachi Moreno, the Georgetown, Kentucky native, will forgo the 2026 NBA Draft and return to the Wildcats for his sophomore season!

As time went on, Moreno proved through personal workouts and in-gym drills that he could play the game of basketball at the next level, eventually drawing interest from teams slated with the first 20 picks of the draft. The 7-foot big had eyes on him from teams such as the Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics.

Ultimately, the former state champion and his camp felt that the deal offered from Mark Pope and his staff was just too sweet, with the idea of developing even further and potentially becoming a lottery pick in next year’s draft making logical sense for both sides.

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In his freshman season, Moreno averaged 7.8 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game and 1.5 blocks per game, all on 58.2% shooting. As many assume, this was just a trial for what he can become on the court.

Videos circulated on social media of Moreno hitting jump shots from deep range, visibly looking stronger and more confident in his decision making. Although he decided to not participate in the NBA Combine, a strong indicator for his return to college, it would’ve certainly been interesting to see what type of statline he could’ve produced against the league’s future stars.

Nonetheless, Moreno is back in the blue and white for one more go at No. 9 with Pope and his new teammates. This time, he won’t be predicted as the third best center on team, or plagued with the freshman tendencies – he’ll be ready to start at the five from the moment he arrives in Lexington.

No. 24 is back.

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