Kentucky's upcoming rivalry game against Louisville is built for Brandon Garrison

It's finally gameday between the #9 Kentucky Wildcats and #12 Louisville Cardinals. It has been a long time since this game had this much anticipation, but all college basketball fans are excited for this matchup.

Both Mark Pope and Pat Kelsey have teams that look like two of the best in college basketball, and both of these teams are more than capable of making a Final Four run this season.

Louisville is a team that lives and dies by the three-ball, and KenPom loves their offense, with it ranked fourth overall. The Wildcats are an elite defensive team, as KenPom has their defense ranked fourth overall as well.

Oct 24, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Brandon Garrison (10) reacts to a call during the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

A big key in this game is going to be Kentucky's guards playing great perimeter defense and making sure these Louisville guards are not getting good looks from deep.

In rivalry games, there always seems to be one player who steps up and has a massive game. Last year, in the Wildcats' win over the Cardinals, Lamont Butler was the star player as he scored 33 points on 10-10 shooting from the field and 6-6 from deep.

This year, the Wildcats will need a star player to step up, and most would assume that guy will be Otega Oweh, Jaland Lowe, or perhaps Denzel Aberdeen, but another name is coming to mind.

When it comes to a player who thrives in the environment of a road rivalry game, the name that comes to mind is Brandon Garrison. The Wildcats' starting center is a very emotional player, and these types of players live up to the hype in moments like these.

On top of the fact that Garrison is a player who thrives in games like this, Louisville is also a team that can be beaten down low. Kentucky should have an advantage down low in this basketball game, and they need to find a way to utilize this advantage.

Some members of Big Blue Nation have been wondering if Malachi Moreno should take over as the starting center, but a game like this would be an excellent opportunity for Garrison to show that this is his job.

Both of these basketball teams believe they can win this game, and there is a chance that this is a game of the year type of contest. Tip between these two teams is set for 8:00 pm ET, and the game can be watched on ESPN.