Terrence Edwards calls Kentucky rivalry the 'greatest atmosphere I've ever played in'

Kentucky defeated Louisville 93-85 on Dec. 14, but it wasn’t without its drama along the way.

From UK fans jawing at Louisville assistants pregame, to scuffles on the court and everything in between, 2024’s matchup in the storied in-state rivalry left a lasting effect on those who went to battle last weekend. It especially resonated with the Cardinals guard Terrence Edwards Jr., who wished he had an extra season of eligibility to play in it one more time.

“I thought it was great. I wish I could do it again,” he said following the game. “That’s the greatest atmosphere I’ve ever played in as far as coming into a game.”

He went a step further, noting that this game was on everyone’s radar before even arriving on campus.

“This big rivalry game, all of us really committed to this game. Some of us came here just to play against Kentucky, you know what I’m saying?” Edwards said ahead of the matchup. “That was a big part of it, to live up in that rivalry and try to be a part of some history.”

After committing, it became clear that both programs want nothing more than to beat the other every December. Even though none of Pat Kelsey’s Louisville squad — or Mark Pope’s Kentucky team for that matter — had ever played in this rivalry before.

Even still, it was just as heated.

“I was just extra excited and everybody was too,” Edwards continued. “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 of runs, and 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.”

While these two programs will go their separate ways for the rest of the regular season, it’s the Wildcats who have bragging rights over the Cardinals for at least another calendar year.

While Edwards won’t have the eligibility to play in next year’s matchup, he expects his team to play with the same passion that was shown in Rupp Arena to show up in the KFC Yum! Center in 2025.