'We take it very seriously.' Louisville is not — and never will be — just another game for Kenny Brooks

We all know the stakes in place every time Kentucky and Louisville square off against one another. Whether it be on the hardwood or the gridiron, whether both teams are undefeated and ranked or whether both teams are winless and practically dead in the water, that matchup always matters, and Kenny Brooks knows that.

At Virginia Tech, Brooks got some big wins over Louisville, including one in the 2023 ACC Tournament Championship. However, that still may not live up to the level of red vs. blue.

“This game means a lot. It really does,” Brooks said following the Louisville game on Saturday. “When I was at V-Tech and we were there, we had success… but it’s different when you get in the state, and we found that out last year.”

Kentucky is a basketball state. Forget the Wildcats and Cardinals — just the Commonwealth itself. This is a Commonwealth that lives and dies with basketball. That only adds to the importance and significance of Battle of the Bluegrass.

“I think it’s a tremendous opportunity not for just the two programs, but the state in general to have this much recognition for women’s basketball,” Brooks added. “We take it very seriously, and we love competing in this atmosphere, this opportunity. Today was really good for us. We grew and we went in the right direction.”

Or, as Tonie Morgan said after the 72-62 win over the Cardinals, “This is our state, and we wanted to make a statement.”

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