Rupp Arena at its best can be one the best environments not just in college basketball, but in all of sports. That said, it is not without its faults. One such example occurred this weekend.

During the Kentucky-Louisville game on Saturday, an intense rivalry and one of the most anticipated games of the season, there was a video posted of a Lexington police officer telling a group of Wildcat fans in the lower arena to sit down or they would be escorted out.

One of the fans, Clay Fink, commented on the now viral video on Twitter/X and stated they were actually told they would spend the night in jail if they did not sit down.

“This cop was sent to me and some guys sitting next to me,” Fink said. “The guy next to me was at his first-ever Kentucky game and the people behind us said they didn’t mind. Some folks four rows back were losing their minds. Cop said we’d spend the night in jail if we didn’t sit.”

Standing during one of the biggest rivalries in college basketball is expected, so you would have to believe there would be more to the story, but Fink says “nope.”

“People behind us didn’t mind, said they’d stand too. It was the folks three to four rows back looking for a reason to be mad.”

Fink says those fans antagonized them for much of the game before their complaints led to an officer being sent. While the officer has caught a lot of grief on social media, Rupp Arena is a privately owned venue and the police are working for the event. If the event requests something to be done, they have the ability to send police on their behalf to resolve the issue or escort them out.

If Kentucky wants to become the best environment game in and game out, not just the big games, this is the type of obstacle that needs to be overcome. Fans should be encouraged to stand and cheer, not discouraged.

Blue Jacket just sent a cop down to tell a dude he has to sit down or get kicked out. Blue Jacket went down snd told him to sit like 5 minutes before this.

Also… a Fight! pic.twitter.com/Pp4V679Qvq— Immanuel Quickley Enthusiast (@SadKentucky) December 15, 2024

It’s in a Kentucky fan’s nature to hate Louisville, but new coach Pat Kelsey is making that hard for some.

The Cincinnati native grew up close to the rivalry and knows the bad blood between the two programs, yet he has been EXTREMELY nice and complimentary of the Wildcats in the lead-up to the game. In his press conference on Friday, Kelsey called Mark Pope his Coach of the Year and added that this Kentucky team is the best of the last ten years.

“If the season ended today, to me, Mark Pope would probably be National Coach of the Year,” Kelsey said. “What he took over. What he had to build. The way the team has come together. The way they’re playing.”

The compliments didn’t stop at Pope, as he said this Kentucky team is the best one in the last decade.

“When I was at Winthrop we played Kentucky in 2019 and I thought that was a really, really good team that we played against,” Kelsey said. “Two years before that, ’17, that was a really, really good team. In my opinion, this is the best one in the last ten years. Those ones were decorated with great, great players, lottery picks, and all that. Not only is this team as dangerous and as talented as potent but they are older as well.”

Is he genuinely being nice or is he playing some weird tactics?

Pat Kelsey says Mark Pope would be his vote for National Coach of the Year and says he believes this year's Kentucky team is the best in the last 10 years.

A lot of compliments coming from the Louisville coach.

🎥: @Matt_McGavic pic.twitter.com/gPAKZbGwoi— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) December 13, 2024

Having played two seasons at Kentucky, Mark Pope is no stranger to the Kentucky-Louisville rivalry. A kid from Bellevue, Washington, he was first introduced to the rivalry by Rick Pitino during the recruiting process as a transfer.

Pitino told Pope a story of the late Bill Keightley, also known as Mr. Wildcat, Kentucky’s equipment manager for more than 48 years.

“The great Bill Keightley — one of one, the best ever. He welcomed Coach Pitino here and was one of Coach P’s trusted allies from day one,” Pope said on his weekly show. “I don’t know if it was five, six, seven games into the season, but they had a routine where when Coach sent the players out for the last time before a game. Bill Keightley would make sure Coach had all he needed and they’d walk out on the floor together. This is game five, six, seven, eight into the season and Coach P sends the team out, but there’s no Bill Keightley.”

“‘Where is Bill Keightley?’ Coach is walking around the locker room, says, ‘We’ve got to go!’ He goes down the hall, finally goes to the showers and sees the great Wildcat Bill just sitting on the floor. He’s dressed in his suit, sitting on the floor. Tears streaming down his face with an open bottle of bourbon in his arms, just feeling the stress and pressure of this Kentucky-Louisville game. That’s when Coach Pitino was like, ‘This is different. This just means more.’”

In two seasons as a player, Pope experience the winning and losing side of the series, going 1-1. On Saturday, he will have the opportunity to improve to 2-1, and 1-0 as a coach.