There was one player you could always count on to be ready for any and all smoke coming Kentucky’s way in Mark Pope‘s debut season in Lexington. When tempers flared and emotions ran hot, Brandon Garrison was the first to get right in the middle of it to ensure the Wildcats wouldn’t get pushed around.
Sure, that led to a few technical fouls, but you’d rather tell a kid to slow down than giddy up, right?
Two examples of Garrison pushing those limits? Oklahoma and Louisville — which happen to be his favorite moments from the season.
We’ll start with the homecoming matchup out in Norman, one that saw Otega Oweh hit the first of two game-winners against the Sooners, plus a beer can hurled at Garrison as he ran through the visitor’s tunnel after the final horn.
Someone threw a beer can at Kentucky players as they left the court. Nearly hit Brandon Garrison in the head. pic.twitter.com/OH14N5wPDk
— Adam Stratton (@AdamStrattonKSR) February 27, 2025
The Oklahoma City native was already fired up, nearly getting into a scuffle after blocking Jeremiah Fears’ shot as time expired, only for Amari Williams to pull Garrison back toward Kentucky’s side of the floor.
Brandon Garrison wanted the smoke as soon as the clock hit triple zeroes. pic.twitter.com/9uJIvv3hLm
— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) February 27, 2025
The Kentucky forward, who went for 12 points (5-8 FG, 2-3 3PT), four rebounds, three blocks and three steals in that one, loved every second of that one — including the seconds after. When asked about his favorite game of the season, Garrison knew exactly where to go.
“I’d probably say the Oklahoma game,” he said in an exclusive sit-down interview with KSR on Thursday. “… Me being from there and Otega used to play there, I feel like it just brought more juice. Coach (Mark Pope) talked about it, he knew how it was gonna be. I just feel like we all knew how that game was gonna turn out and how the vibes and energy were gonna be.”
What was it about the matchup that lit his fuse? He was home and wanted to put on a show in front of his friends and family.
The performance did the talking — then the extracurriculars added to the fun.
“Like everybody saw, I just feel like, me being from there and going back home — I was just excited to be there,” Garrison said. “Things got chippy, but I feel like it’s just part of basketball, nothing was intentionally done. Things just got rowdy that game, and we came out with the dub. Just some words, my temper was — I just wasn’t really thinking. It’s not like a bad temper, but on the court I like to talk trash. It helps me get going, it’s part of the game. I don’t even notice I do it sometimes.”
Then you have the Louisville Cardinals coming to Rupp Arena where Garrison was able to throw his very first L’s down as a Wildcat — we all remember our first.
He didn’t necessarily understand it at the time, but he learned quickly just how important winning that game is at Kentucky. Fortunately for us, he did it pretty well, pulling off the 93-85 victory over the school’s bitter rival.
“I’d probably say Louisville,” he said of the rivalry matchup he enjoyed the most. “Just because of the big rivalry and how it’s always been around here. Since I got here, that was the first team they talked about. Of all the other teams, they just said I gotta beat Louisville. And Tennessee was one of them. When we came up on that game, I felt the energy and the vibes, how much it meant to the fans.”
Like the Oklahoma game, he found himself in a bit of a kerfuffle against Louisville — taking on the entire bench alone, one on all.
And that’s just the way he likes it — again, ready for all of the smoke.
Louisville-Kentucky gettin’ FEISTY pic.twitter.com/KyO8GtcpHv
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) December 15, 2024
“It’s always L’s down, I’d say. No matter where we’re at, it’s always L’s down,” Garrison said.
It wasn’t just the fire and passion separating year one as a Wildcat, though. He was known for plenty more and had other fond memories of that debut group under Pope.
“First, just the teammates I played with. They taught me a lot of things, just how we connected,” he said. “It was our first year making March Madness and going as deep as we did, some of those memories were a lot of fun.”
Expect to see a little bit more of both in year two at Kentucky.
The post Oklahoma, Louisville among Brandon Garrison’s favorite Kentucky memories: “It’s always L’s down” appeared first on On3.