Kentucky needs Brandon Garrison's high-energy levels every night: 'That dude's a dog.'

We almost made it an entire Kentucky-Louisville game without any sort of major scuffle — until Brandon Garrison got caught in the Cardinals’ bench late in the second half.

No technical fouls or flagrant were given out after the tussle, but that moment of stress as both sides converged on him encapsulated everything Garrison did for Kentucky down the stretch. The sophomore center was mostly a non-factor in the first half before being quickly thrust into surprise minutes after halftime. Amari Williams wasn’t providing the energy that head coach Mark Pope felt was necessary, so he ran with the youngster instead.

“I thought BG was giving us great energy,” Pope said postgame about why he went with Garrison. “I thought BG was terrific tonight. I thought he was really, really good.”

The move worked in Kentucky’s favor. The Wildcats won the 16 second-half minutes that Garrison played en route to a 93-85 victory this past Saturday in Rupp Arena. After the halftime break, Garrison contributed four points, three rebounds, and three assists with a pair of turnovers. The offense flowed through him at times, which we’ve seen all season from how Pope utilizes his bigs. He finished a dunk on a loose ball and knocked down a couple of free throws. His impact as a defender was felt constantly.

One of the most important plays of the entire game was thanks to Garrison. With Kentucky ahead by seven and just 90 seconds in regulation, he tossed a gorgeous pass over a Louisville defender to a cutting Jaxson Robinson, who converted on the layup and effectively ended the Cardinals’ chances of a comeback.

It took some serious guts and confidence for Brandon Garrison to throw this pass. He had just turned it over on a similar look just a couple of possessions ago.

He is such a skilled passer and really showed it off in the 2nd Half versus Louisville.

GREAT pass. GREAT cut! pic.twitter.com/l2IbiA2XFa

— Brandon Ramsey (@BRamseyKSR) December 15, 2024

But it’s what Garrison did off the stat sheet that truly stands out about his performance against Kentucky’s top rival. He was jawing with Louisville’s Noah Waterman (who played under Pope at BYU last season) throughout the second half. He was clapping his hands in Waterman’s face and throwing L’s down the second the buzzer sounded. Garrison’s head nearly exploded after he saved a loose ball near the UK bench that ultimately resulted in a three-pointer for his team. Even Pope couldn’t help but give him a quick sideline hug for his hustle.

Louisville fans resorted to calling Garrison a “dirty” player on social media. The referees apparently didn’t agree. He looked like a saint compared to what the Big Blue Nation will remember from Georgia State’s Clash Peters. Garrison played hard and played well against Louisville. His energy levels in the second half were huge for not only himself but his teammates as well.

“We need that. Every game, we need BG to step up and be that flame that ignites the team,” Robinson said postgame. “I feel like he did a really good job of that tonight. Even with the scuffle and all that stuff that went on, I feel like it was something that we needed just to get us going. He did a really good job on the defensive side of the ball.”

Garrison doesn’t seem like someone who backs down from a challenge. He almost appears to enjoy some physicality and taunting from the opposition. It keeps him charged up, which carries over to his on-court play. He wants to talk some smack. Most importantly, his teammates feed off it.

“That dude’s a dog. I’m gonna say that,” Robinson added.