The No. 20 Kentucky women's basketball team has dominated the early portion of its non-conference schedule, with the lowest margin of victory being a 29-point win over Northern Kentucky University.
But UK's first true test of the season comes this Saturday, in the form of a top-25 showdown against the team's bitter rival, the Louisville Cardinals. The Cards check in at No. 18 in this week's AP poll, meaning both fan bases should be in for an epic battle.
"You might play the game 10 times, and it might be 5-5," UK head coach Kenny Brooks said in a pre-game press conference Thursday afternoon. "I don't know. It just seems even, and we're just trying to learn our teams."
Click here to buy tickets to this year's Kentucky vs. Louisville matchup.
It's certainly early in the year for such a meaningful matchup between the Cats and the Cards, even for a head coach who's very familiar with the opponent.
"Usually when I play Jeff Walz, it's January or February or March, and we know what our teams are," Brooks said, referring to seasons past when he, too, coached in the ACC. "We've never played each other in November. It's just going to be something totally new."
Kenny Brooks was 3-7 against Louisville as a conference opponent during his time leading Virginia Tech, with all three victories coming in the past three seasons. Kentucky leads the all-time series 34-25, but the Cats are still searching for their first victory against the in-state foe since 2015.
#20/19 Kentucky vs. #18/18 Louisville
— Kentucky Women’s Basketball (@KentuckyWBB) November 14, 2024
🔹 This Saturday
🔹 6 p.m. ET
🔹 Historic Memorial Coliseum
See ya there, #BBN. 😼
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"I have the utmost respect for him and what he's done for women's basketball," Brooks said of Walz. "He welcomed me into the ACC, kind of like a little mentorship. Not that I called him all the time, but when we got the chance to talk, I learned a lot from him. He's always been a winner in that league."
"We wish each other luck except when we play each other," Brooks continued. "There is a relationship there, but when we get on the court, he wants to beat me as much as I want to beat him. I think it's a healthy rivalry because of that."
This year's edition of the annual rivalry game will also be the first in newly-renovated Memorial Coliseum.
Click here to buy tickets to this year's Kentucky vs. Louisville matchup.
For more on the Wildcats, join us on weeknights at 7:30 p.m. on BBN Tonight and Saturday mornings at 9 a.m. on BBN Gameday.
