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Current Kentucky Players are Ready for Louisville Rivalry, “We Want to Be Part of That”

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New Kentucky players are ready for the rivalry with Louisville basketball.
Chet White | UK Athletics

It’s no secret that the Kentucky-Louisville basketball rivalry hasn’t been the most competitive over the last few years. Since Rick Pitino left the Cardinals in 2017, the Wildcats have won five of the six meetings by an average of 18 points per game, and Pitino is even working himself back into the good graces of Kentucky fans.

That said, tensions have remained high amongst the rival fanbases. That was seen on Monday night as Kentucky’s alumni team La Familia, took on Louisville’s alumni team The Ville in Freedom Hall for a trip to the semifinals of The Basketball Tournament, a $1 million, winner-take-all tournament.

There was fan banter back and forth and some fan altercations, but most prominently was a near brawl between the players. In attendance for all of it was the current Kentucky team.

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“I definitely think that they were in shock a little bit,” Trent Noah said of his teammates’ reaction to La Familia’s win and the environment. “That’s just what Kentucky basketball is, and that was on a smaller scale. I feel like whenever it gets to the season, it’s gonna be times 100. They’re super excited for it.”

Noah being a Kentucky kid, he is no stranger to the importance of the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry, but for most of his teammates, this was their first experience of it.

“It was crazy,” Jaxson Robinson said about the environment at Freedom Hall. “Having all those fans there, seeing how much it means to the state of Kentucky. Louisville vs. Kentucky. It makes me excited to play any game, to be honest with you.”

“Just to be around that kind of environment and see how hectic and passionate our fans are in that rivalry — we’re competitors, and we want to be a part of that,” Koby Brea added. “We know that any time we’re playing against competition like that, it’s gonna be a good game and that’s what we want to be a part of. I think me and the rest of the group are super pumped for that.”

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You even had Otega Oweh throw the L’s down after the game.

Mark Pope and Pat Kelsey have helped bring energy to each fanbase, and with new teams and the game scheduled for a Saturday, this year’s edition of Kentucky-Louisville should be a fun one.

Also published on A Sea of Blue.

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Men's Basketball

Otega Oweh Declares for NBA Draft, Maintains College Eligibility

Arguably the centerpiece of last year’s team, Otega Oweh has declared for the NBA Draft… but that doesn’t mean he’s officially gone.

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Otega Oweh declares for the NBA Draft whilst maintaining his college eligibility.
Chet White | UK Athletics

Few players have taken the Big Blue Nation by storm like Otega Oweh did with his arrival this past season. A lot was new in Lexington last year, but #00 stuck out for a number of reasons; namely, his infectious energy on the court and the high odds that he was going to put an opponent on a poster on any given night.

Now, Oweh has declared for the NBA Draft. He made the announcement on social media, calling Kentucky fans the “best fans in the world.”

While this may seem dire for folks keeping tabs on next year’s roster, that last line in Oweh’s announcement is crucial: “…while maintaining my NCAA eligibility.” Essentially, Otega’s time in Lexington is far from over, at least for the time being.

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Whether or not “Tegatron” returns to Rupp will likely depend on what he hears during the draft process, and where exactly he wants to land. In the modern college basketball landscape, it’s become common practice for players to “test the waters” in the draft, just to get an idea as to where they stand with the league, before returning to college for another year of development.

Take, for example, Jaxson Robinson just last season. Before his eventual transfer to Kentucky, Robinson declared for the draft out of BYU, maintaining his eligibility, before pulling from the process in order to spend his senior year at Kentucky. It happens all the time.

While that doesn’t necessarily set Oweh’s return in stone, it at least gives the Big Blue Nation to take a breather and keep calm, as his departure is far from official. Either way, #00 is a Lexington legend whose first go-around in Kentucky blue was as memorable as anyone’s could be. The “Oweh, Oweh, Oweh” chants will go on regardless.

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Men's Basketball

Four Star Forward Visiting Kentucky Amidst Recruitment Rumors

Mark Pope is looking to close out a strong sophomore effort in the transfer portal, and this freshman guard may be the final piece.

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Four star guard Braydon Hawthorne is on a visit to Kentucky.
Braydon Hawthorne | WVU Athletics

As the transfer portal trucks on (and the NCAA races to find ways to regulate it), Mark Pope is looking to tie a bow on his already highly-ranked 2025-26′ roster. The latest potential addition becomes in the form of a freshman who, after pulling his commitment from West Virginia, will be on an official visit to Kentucky today, Wednesday, April 16.

Braydon Hawthorne, the 6’8″ forward at hand, is a lengthy, scoring wing with high upside on the offensive end. His 7’3″ wingspan opens opportunities for development on the defensive end, too – he’s an investment opportunity of the highest order. On3 currently has him at 48th on their ranking of 2025 recruits.

In addition to Kentucky and West Virginia (where Hawthorne is from), schools such as Virginia Tech, Arizona State, Marquette, Dayton, Old Dominion, Mount St. Mary’s, and more have thrown their hats into the ring, although the general consensus seems to be that Kentucky has the strongest pull/interest in the prospect for the time being.

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Whether or not that actually means he’ll be in blue and white is unfortunately unsure – as that’s how the transfer portal operates – but an in-person visit is a good indicator of mutual interest. Plus, with Kentucky “losing out” on Lamar Wilkerson, who committed to Indiana, a scoring spot in the back court remains open… and Hawthorne is a compelling candidate to fill it.

While Wildcats fans wait patiently for a potential commitment, all eyes are on Coach Cody Fueger’s X account for a trademark “boom” post.

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Men's Basketball

Brandon Garrison Announces Return To Kentucky For The 2025-26 Season

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Chet White | UK Athletics

Brandon Garrison isn’t going anywhere. 

The 6-foot-10 forward will be returning to the Kentucky Wildcats for his junior season in the 2025-26 campaign. 

Garrison took to social media first, posting a story on his personal Instagram that showed a simple graphic reading the words “I’m back.”

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Speculation and rumors have swirled around the Oklahoma native all offseason, and with the addition of Andrija Jelavic, Big Blue Nation worried that Garrison would be hitting the portal sooner than later. 

Now, with his returning announcement public, Garrison will look to assert himself in the offseason as a dominant force that deserves the starting role.

Last season, he backed up Amari Williams, coming off of the bench and averaging 5.9 points per game and 3.9 rebounds per game in just 17.3 minutes a night. 

It’s unclear if he’s guaranteed anything in regards to a starting spot. However, having played a year already in Mark Pope’s system, Garrison may get a nod for the role over one of the transfer pickups. 

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Pope and the coaching staff have been publicly confident in the development of “BG” and see him as a vocal leader on and off the court. 

With a full offseason ahead where he’ll be harnessing his skill set and bettering his game in any way possible, Kentucky fans will be glad that Garrison chose to stick around another year. 

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