One of Dick Vitale's top college basketball storylines involves the Kentucky Wildcats

It has been a while since there has been a lot of hype surrounding a Kentucky vs. Louisville game, but there will be this season. Last year, there was some hype, but this year, the Wildcats and Cardinals will come into this game likely as top ten teams.

During the Kenny Payne era, this game was not competitive, but now Pat Kelsey has the Cardinals back to being relevant.

It is good for college basketball when the Kentucky vs. Louisville rivalry is competitive, and it will be this year, thanks to both schools having great new head coaches.

Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope being introduced at the 2025 Big Blue Madness at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. | Matt Stone/The Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dick Vitale put out an article on ESPN where he talked about some of the best storylines in college basketball, and one of these storylines was this rivalry being back in full force.

Here is what Dick Vitale had to say about Kentucky and Louisville, "Two proud programs, two coaches in their second year with their respective teams, and a whole lotta barking flying around. Kentucky's Mark Pope went wild in the portal, pulling in Jaland Lowe (Pitt), Kam Williams (Tulane), Denzel Aberdeen (Florida), Mouhamed Dioubate (Alabama), and top-five NBA prospect Jayden Quaintance (Arizona State). The Wildcats are big, fast, and defense-first. Over at Louisville, Pat Kelsey brought in a five-star recruit and potential NBA Lottery pick in Mikel Brown Jr., who made a gold medal run with Team USA at the FIBA U19 World Cup. He's a lightning-quick point guard with one of the smoothest jumpers in the game. Add Germany's Sananda Fru , along with three 1,000-point scorers in Ryan Conwell, Isaac McKneely , and J'Vonne Hadley, and this group of Cardinals can light it up. Both teams are Final Four contenders, and if the bracket gods smile, they might meet again in March Madness."

Dec 14, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (0) dunks the ball during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

In year two of the Pope and Kelsey era, these two teams will meet up in the KFC Yum Center on November 11th for what should be an elite showdown. The Wildcats should have Jaland Lowe on the floor in this game, as his shoulder injury isn't all that bad.

Both of these coaches and teams really want to win this basketball game because it is going to mean a lot for seeding purposes. College basketball is best when the Kentucky vs. Louisville rivalry is one of the best in the sport, and it should be this season. This basketball game has a real shot to be the game of the year in college hoops.