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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

Kentucky Basketball’s Practice Facility Sees Major Makeover

The Joe Craft Center, after years of casual criticism from Wildcats fans, has finally been given an upgrade.

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UK Athletics

Maybe the weirdest qualm of many that plagued John Calipari’s tenure at Kentucky were the consistent complaints about the team’s practice facility, the Joe Craft Center.

From exaggerated rumors about leaks in the ceiling to general observations made about the court and facilities, fans, especially towards the end of that era, pointed to the Craft Center’s age as one of many signs of the times. Even in spite of occasional, supposed changes now and again.

In only his second year, Mark Pope has seemingly already addressed that complaint — at least to an extent.

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The official Kentucky men’s basketball account recently posted a video across all social media platforms of the team during summer practice, featuring and obviously removed Craft Center court.

The court itself has been redone, in addition to the graphics and banners on the wall. Alongside the hanging threads celebrating the program’s eight national championships, a ninth one has been tacked onto the end.

It simply reads: “#9 – The Assignment.” If fans weren’t already excited enough for Coach Pope’s sophomore season, a ninth title banner being fixed in the renovation’s spotlight should send folks through the roof.

It may seem like a small thing, but given the program’s track record in the last few years, it’s the small things that feel the biggest. Mark Pope not only understands the assignment, but he’s making sure his team does, too.

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Jasper Johnson Makes Final U19 USA Roster Under Coach Mark Pope

Jasper Johnson has advanced in the U19 USA camp for the second time alongside the nation’s best recruits, and under Mark Pope’s wing.

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Jasper Johnson advances at U19 camp.
Instagram: @bruhjasperj (UK Athletics)

In a surprisingly relevant development smack dab in the middle of the offseason, Jasper Johnson has yet again advanced in the pool of players participating in the USA U19 camp.

The program, which could be a described as a sort of extension of the Team USA that just took home the gold in 2024, is comprised of some of the nation’s most anticipated talents set to take collegiate courts in the next couple of seasons.

Blue Gets In

Among them is Kentucky native and commit Johnson, and was also incoming Cat Malachi Moreno, before the latter was cut as a result of a mild injury he obtained throughout the camp’s course. Despite Moreno’s exit, his future teammate continues to impress.

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Under the wing of Coach Mark Pope, who’s helmed the team in the camp up to this point, Johnson has now made the final cut after multiple roster slashes – he and only 11 other players remain in the minority that will go forward to actually compete for the team in the 2025 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup, which will take place June 28 through July 6 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The pre-competition camp serves not only as a trial of play before these athletes disperse to their own respective rosters this fall and next, but for Johnson, as a preview of what it’s like to play under Coach Pope. If his current success is any indicator, Kentucky fans may be in for something special when the pair tackle opposing teams together for the blue and white.

In similar noteworthy news, also attending the event are Taylen Kinney and Tyran Stokes, two Kentucky-born athletes with ties to Kentucky that the program is heavily recruiting. Jasper’s strong performance, combined with Coach Pope’s presence, can only help the Wildcats’ chances on that front, too.

To say the least, Mark Pope has found a way to facilitate Kentucky’s influence far beyond the boundaries of Lexington. He and Johnson, for the time being, will continue to press turn heads on the national stage, and it’s very likely that fans aren’t the only ones paying attention.

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Archie Goodwin and Kahlil Whitney Set to Join La Familia This Summer

La Familia continues to add more firepower to the 2025 roster.

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James Crisp (Left), Adam Hunger (Right) | Associated Press

As the start of the 2025 TBT Tournament inches closer, La Familia has been slowly but surely adding star Wildcats to the roster.

Usually, we see announcements for new additions to the squad roll out on social media in some form, whether it be a post from La Familia’s official accounts or in form of Ansley Almonor’s announcement, which took place on BBN Tonight.

However, this time, Archie Goodwin and Kahlil “The Dragon” Whitney were added to the roster on the TBT website without any announcement, surprising Big Blue Nation as the news leaked and began to circulate.

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They were removed from the website afterwards, but as of Thursday, June 19, appear on the website as listed members of the roster.

Goodwin has been an active member for years, highlighted by his semifinals appearance last year where he averaged 13.8 points per game en route.

Whitney is a name that may cause some to shed a tear, with so much potential surrounding the former five-star leading up to his debut. Ultimately, he left the program after appearing in just 18 games for Kentucky.

La Familia is competitive as all get out, shown by chippy play with guys who have nothing to lose but everything to win for the place they call home. Goodwin and Whitney, now added to that list of guys, will look to redeem themselves with one goal in mind. Win.

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The official La Familia roster as of June 19:

– Willie Cauley-Stein (2012-15)

– Doron Lamb (2010-12)

– DeAndre Liggins (2008-11)

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– Aaron Harrison (2013-15)

– Andrew Harrison (2013-15)

– Ansley Almonor (2024-25)

– Archie Goodwin (2012-13)

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– Kahlil Whitney (2019-20)

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