Fresh off of a win against Jackson State on Thursday, Nov. 6, sixth-year forward Kasean Pryor decided to shoot a couple of choice words in the rival Wildcats’ direction after his 6-point performance.

“We’ll see you guys Tuesday,” Pryor said to the media as he was leaving the press conference. “After a win…fu*k ‘em (Kentucky).”

With that, the talk is cheap claim is evident. Pryor represents the entire team’s feelings before their matchup with Kentucky on Tuesday, Nov. 11. Kentucky’s players, when asked about the comments made, pushed the agenda in a direction of “we’ll see you Tuesday.”

Malachi Moreno, who had just tallied his first double-double of his collegiate career, chose to be mature when talking about the rivalry he’s watched closely since he was a little kid.

“We don’t pay attention to outside noise,” said Moreno. “I’m a Kentucky boy but I live by the standard of Kentucky basketball, and that’s not to listen to outside noise.”

Pitt transfer Jaland Lowe, with an illustrious history against Louisville, took a moment to reflect on his previous outings before addressing the comments made.

“I know plenty about the rivalry, always just watching from afar, playing them four times throughout my career so far, I love what Pat Kelsy has done over the last year,” Lowe said after the game. “Playing there (KFC YUM! Center) last year was amazing. I tell these guys and everybody else that that was probably one of the favorite places to play at.”

When asked next about Pryor’s comments, Lowe stood his ground.

“I mean that’s cool,” Lowe said. “They gonna talk, it’s a rivalry, you want that, it makes it fun. They can chirp, I think we’ll save our chirping for during the game, and after the game, when we win.”

Brandon Garrison added to that mindset as well; ready to play and to leave with a victory.

“It’s been going all around the internet, but coach told us really don’t worry about it,” Garrison said. “The only thing that matters is going out there and getting a win.”

There’s been plenty of talking and now we’re just days away from the one of the best rivalries in all of college basketball. The game is set to start at 8:00 p.m. ET and will air live on ESPN.

Kentucky men’s basketball got the best of Valparaiso on Friday, Nov. 7, beating the visiting team 107-59 inside of Rupp Arena.

The Wildcats brought balance to the force, where six players finished with double-digit points, led by freshman Malachi Moreno who tallied his first collegiate double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Jaland Lowe

At the sixteen-minute mark, the moment that Wildcat fans had all been waiting for, star guard Jaland Lowe stepped onto the floor for the first time as a Kentucky Wildcat.

His first play on the floor would be a flashy no-look pass, hitting a wide open Denzel Aberdeen for a made corner three.

Although he was on a minutes restriction due to his recent shoulder injury, Lowe still managed to conjure up a solid stat line with six points, two rebounds, five assists and a steal.

With Lowe on the floor or off, Kentucky did not have a hard time getting the ball through the net, taking stride in its previous game’s slow half and dropping 58 points as a team before the break.

Balanced Offense

Along with taking the first half, the Cats shot 64% as a team and didn’t miss a single free throw as they jogged back into the locker room.

Waiting for good looks on the perimeter and spreading the wealth were keys to the win, with each player seeming patient and always looking to make the right play.

As mentioned earlier, Moreno, who got his first double-double in his career, played physical and gritty in the paint, earning respect from his doubters and potentially more minutes from Mark Pope.

Kentucky made a huge improvement from its game against Nicholls, where the Cats improved in nearly every shooting split.

No Easy Buckets

Kentucky controlled both ends of their home floor. Yes, they outscored Valparaiso by 48 points, but the Cats also held them to blank shooting statistics for the night.

On the perimeter, the Wildcats forced their opponent to take tough, off-balanced shots and on multiple occurrences made Valpo use all 24 seconds of the shot clock.

Although the box score does not immediately yell defensive masterclass, it was the defensive intangibles that held Valparaiso to a frank and sorry night in Lexington.

The Wildcats dove on the floor, contested without fouling and were consistent yet again on that side of the ball all night.

A Kentucky team that plays the way they did Friday, Nov. 7, is a scary nightmare for the rest of the college basketball world if they can do it consistently.

Up next for the Wildcats is a rivalry matchup against the Louisville Cardinals, taking place in enemy territory inside of the KFC Yum Center. With tensions rising and wanna be Louisville players jawing at the wall, this one is set to be another brawling chapter in the history books.

The game is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 11th at 8 p.m. ET, streaming live on ESPN.

The Kentucky-Louisville basketball rivalry of recent years has been a far cry of the golden eras of the rivalry that included John Calipari-Rick Pitino and Joe B. Hall-Denny Crum, however, it may be headed back in that direction.

Last month, reports surfaced of Mark Pope and Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey getting into a verbal altercation outside of a recruits home. Now, just days away from this year’s chapter in the series, Louisville players are being open about their distain of the Wildcats.

Following the Cardinals’ win over Jackson State, ranked 274th in KenPom, Kasean Pryor had some choice words for Kentucky and may have provided some extra motivation ahead of Tuesday’s matchup in the Yum! Center.

“We’ll see you guys Tuesday,” Pryor said to the media as he was leaving the press conference. “After a win. Fuck them (Kentucky).”

Pryor returned to court for the first time since tearing his ACL last November, just in time for the rivalry, which is a deadline he set for himself.

“My deadline was to be back before Kentucky, so I could play against them,” Pryor said. “They’re a good team. We’re going to be prepared for them. We’re going to handle business.”

Talk is cheap. Let’s see what happens on the court on Tuesday night.