How Rupp Arena is preparing Kentucky for unique setup at Lucas Oil Stadium: "It's all the same thing."

Lucas Oil Stadium can be a bit overwhelming when you walk in for the first time, specifically when the football field has been transformed into a basketball venue. Watching the Kentucky Wildcats soak it in for their first practice ahead of the Sweet 16 was fascinating, reactions mostly the same — squinting eyes from the bright lights, only to adjust and glance toward a ceiling that went on forever to find the jerseys hanging in the rafters.

It’s gotta be like someone walking into Rupp Arena for the first time, right? Actually, it’s more similar than you’d imagine, despite being triple the size in square footage (1.8M vs. 620K).

First, there is the obvious: a basketball court is a basketball court. You can find similarities and differences everywhere, but as long as the dimensions are the same and they have a ball to play with, they’re happy with it.

“I feel like it’s been pretty cool just to play in different environments; and for me, it’s my first time playing in a football stadium. That’s a pretty good experience,” Koby Brea said. “I don’t really think it changes anything. I always say if the ball is round and the rim is a circle, then I think it’s all the same thing. Just excited to get out there and play.”

“I mean, at the end of the day, it’s still a 10-foot hoop and you still have a little orange basketball that you’re trying to put through it,” Trent Noah added. “I mean, it’s definitely not like the Bucks arena that we were in (in Milwaukee), but I think a little of that can be mental.

“At the end of the day, all of the other regulations are the same and the length of the three-point line. I think we should be alright.”

The cool part is the fact that it’s the home of the Indianapolis Colts, the stage feeling grander than most typical basketball setups. But that’s why you come to Kentucky, right? You want to play on the biggest and brightest stages.

It doesn’t get much bigger and brighter.

“It’s definitely a little different. We’ve never played really in a football stadium, playing in an arena. Once we got our first shots up and figured it out, it’s normal at that point,” Lamont Butler said. “… The last time I did it was at the Final Four. It’s a really nice setup and I’m ready to play on it.”

“It’s really cool. I’m a big NFL guy, I love to just sit down on Sundays and watch the NFL, so being able to play in the Colts arena is really cool,” Noah continued. “It’s kind of cut off, so that’s something I’ve never seen. At the end of the day, we’re still playing basketball, so I’m ready for it.”

‘Different’ and ‘weird’ were descriptors, but they appreciate the challenge of a new environment in a win-or-go-home matchup against a bitter rival like Tennessee

“It’s definitely different. The raised floor, I feel like that’s a little bit different, especially if you like jump and contest a shot and keep going,” Amari Williams said. “That’s something we’ve always spoken about.”

“Once you get out there at first, it’s definitely weird,” Travis Perry added. “But I think we got pretty good adjusted to it throughout. It’s definitely different than having a straight backdrop even. I mean, even Rupp is a lot closer than what that is both ways. It’s kind of cool to get a different challenge out there and get a little bit different view, get to play in a pretty cool place.”

Some even found it to be a little homey.

“Maybe, I don’t know. I think it just takes some getting used to. It’s like that with some gyms where the bleachers are right behind the hoop. Some gyms are like Rupp where it’s farther away,” Collin Chandler said. “It feels more like Rupp, but it just takes a little bit of getting used to, getting a few shots up. Today was good for us.”

No matter the stage or setup, the Cats are just excited for the opportunity to keep the season alive. Their experiences up to this point certainly have them prepared for it.

“Everything else is just basketball,” Butler said.