Jacob Toppin shows respect for Bryce Hopkins: "I love him with all my heart"

During the 2021-22 season, Jacob Toppin and Bryce Hopkins became incredibly close friends during their time in Lexington. Neither had a major role for Kentucky on the hardwood, with Toppin averaging 17.7 minutes per game off the bench while Hopkins was even lower on the totem pole at 6.5 minutes per game, but both had clear potential. A jump in their development felt imminent, and it didn’t take long for that to happen.

But unfortunately, it didn’t happen while they were on the same team.

Hopkins transferred to Providence over the offseason for a larger role while Toppin slid in as Kentucky’s starting power forward. The move ended up working out for both parties, with Hopkins being named to the All-Big East First Team this season and Toppin breaking out at his position with less competition surrounding him.

As these two were tasked with the challenge of guarding each other when Kentucky and Providence met in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, it felt like destiny, and it consumed the headlines from the moment the bracket was announced on Sunday — two close friends who originally took the same path but needed something to change in order to do what was best for their basketball careers.

Toppin was clearly looking forward to the matchup, too, and he ultimately came away with both the individual and team victory once the final buzzer sounded. All that being said, there is no love lost between these two.

“Bryce, I love him with all my heart,” Toppin said after Kentucky beat Providence 61-53 on Friday night. “We got so close last year. He is a really good player. It was definitely hard to guard him because he is so physical.

“It didn’t just take me. It took the whole team, being in gaps, being my help, and we just slowed him down. He is a really good player, and it took five players to stop him, not just me.”

Early on in the matchup, it was Hopkins who got the better of Toppin. The former Wildcat went directly at Toppin in the opening 10 minutes, bullying his way onto the block for a pair of easy layups right at the rim. But life would soon get much tougher for Hopkins.

Toppin flipped a switch, dominating his matchup with Hopkins throughout the game. Toppin drew a charge on Hopkins and emphatically swatted one of his layup attempts late in the first half, which immediately led to a massive three-pointer from Antonio Reeves on the other end. Not only was Toppin aggressive on offense, but he was being patient on defense, refusing to let Hopkins’ size overwhelm him.

JT block ➡️ Reeves three 🔥🔥

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After making those two layups throughout the first 10 minutes, Hopkins failed to hit another field goal the rest of the night as Toppin took control on both ends. Hopkins finished with just seven points on 2-9 shooting while Toppin served as his primary defender for the majority of the night. Toppin’s stat line? 18 points, six rebounds, two assists, and one steal in 37 minutes.

These two might still be close friends, but the head-to-head battle felt personal. Toppin even had some words for Hopkins after drawing a second charge on the Friars’ top scorer during the second half. The love is always going to be there, but Toppin came to win.

“It’s friendly competition,” Toppin said. “We’re gonna battle. At the end of the day, it’s Kentucky vs. Providence. So we had to come out with a ‘W’ and that’s what we did.”