The Battle of the Bluegrass is already heating up days before the No. 9 Kentucky Wildcats and No. 11 Louisville Cardinals tip off.
Following Louisville’s win over Jackson State on Thursday, forward Kasean Pryor ended his press conference with a pointed message for his team’s cross-state rival.
“We’ll see you guys on Tuesday. After a win. F*** them,” Pryor said as he was leaving the media room.
After Kentucky’s 107-59 victory over Valparaiso on Friday night, Wildcat players were asked to respond to Pryor’s comments. Brandon Garrison, who had a heated exchange in last year’s game, acknowledged he heard the remarks but is focused on maintaining his composure.
“Yeah, I did,” Garrison replied. “But we ain’t paying much mind. They just over there talking, doing what they do. We all got to keep our heads, because I was one of them who kinda lost mine last year. So learning from that.”
Kentucky prefers to “chirp after the win.” Freshman center Malachi Moreno, a Kentucky native, took a diplomatic approach, stating the team is blocking out external distractions to prevent any bulletin board material.
“We don’t pay attention to outside noise. We’re just keeping everything in-house and we’re just prepping to be ready for Tuesday,” Moreno said.
Guard Jaland Lowe, however, met the comment with the same energy it was delivered.
“I mean, that’s cool. They gonna talk. It’s a rivalry, you want that,” Lowe said. “That’s what makes it fun. By all means, they can chirp, and I think we’ll save our chirping during the game and after the game, when we win. We’ll just leave it at that.”
The two top-15 programs will meet at the KFC Yum! Center on Tuesday night in one of the most anticipated matchups of the rivalry in recent years.
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**About the Author**
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time, he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X [here](#).
*Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion*
https://www.aseaofblue.com/kentucky-wildcats-basketball/152324/uk-louisville-cardinals-players-exchange-words-rivalry-game