A Louisville player made a big statement about the atmosphere in Rupp Arena

The atmosphere in Rupp Arena was electric when Kentucky took on Louisville.

Kentucky Wildcats celebrate their 93-85 win over Louisville Cardinals on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. / Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Rupp Arena was packed to the brim for the matchup between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Louisville Cardinals. This is one of the best rivalries in college basketball, but of late, it hasn't felt that way. The Wildcats have dominated Louisville of late, but both programs are under new leadership, so this game had a different feeling.

After the game, Louisville star Terrence Edwards Jr., who scored 23 points, had this to say about the Rupp Arena environment, “I thought it was great. I wish I could do it again. That’s the greatest atmosphere I’ve ever played in as far as coming into a game. I was just extra excited, and everybody was, too. I’m wearing this Louisville across our chest, we don’t take it for granted. We knew this game was huge, we came in, tried to answer a couple runs, came up short, but it’s like no other. Guys in the hotel, when you come out, you see the L’s down and stuff like that, that really makes you want to win the game, but it was a great atmosphere.”

This was the best Rupp Arena atmosphere of the season, which makes sense as it was a rivalry game and the first big home game of the year, but without a doubt, the fans helped the Wildcats in this game.

Big Blue Nation showed why Rupp Arena is one of the hardest places to play in all of college basketball in the win over Louisville. The Pope era has Kentucky fans fired up for the remainder of the season and a very bright future.