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Mark Pope reflects on skirmish in front of Louisville bench: 'That was probably the most fun part of the game, right?'

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Mark Pope reflects on skirmish in front of Louisville bench: 'That was probably the most fun part of the game, right?'


The KentuckyLouisville rivalry delivered on Saturday, with a scuffle breaking out in the second half between UK forward Brandon Garrison and the Cardinals’ bench. After the game, Kentucky head coach Mark Pope reflected on the wild moment.

“Listen, it wouldn’t have been an appropriate game if it wasn’t a tension-filled mosh pit down in front of their bench. That was probably the most fun part of the game, right?” Pope said. “But I think you have two organizations right now that have an insane amount of passion about winning and feel all of the joy and intensity and stress of this rivalry.

“But also are pretty good about being focused about what actually makes you play the best to give yourself the best chance to win. I think both programs are probably in that space somewhere.”

The skirmish broke out when Louisville’s Reyne Smith dove for a ball near the Cardinals’ bench and Garrison went after it, as well. While the two battled for the ball, Garrison stumbled into Louisville’s bench and some shoving ensued.

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It didn’t last long with both Pat Kelsey and Mark Pope rushing into the action to keep their players from escalating the situation. Nonetheless, the short-lived incident energized the Rupp Arena crowd, with fans noticeably louder after the scuffle.

Kentucky ultimately responded best to the fracas, running away with a 93-85 win. In the victory, UK shot 32-55 (58.2%) from the field and 11-21 (52.4%) from beyond the arc. Pope’s Wildcats looked like a well-oiled machine, racking up 23 assists, compared to Louisville’s mere eight.

Pope believes his team used the scuffle as a motivating factor instead of allowing it to distract them.

“You have two veteran groups that are pretty focused on the way they compete the best, the way they give themselves the best chance to win,” Pope said. “It is to be laser-focused on the job at hand and be super disciplined about not letting the emotion be a distracting factor, if that makes sense. I was really proud of our guys.”

Kentucky fifth-year senior point guard Lamont Butler responded particularly well to the incident, erupting for a career-high 33 points while shooting 10-10 from the floor, including six 3-pointers.

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Butler’s status was questionable leading up to the game due to an ankle injury that he’d suffered in Kentucky’s loss to Clemson on Dec. 3. Kentucky must maintain its focus as it prepares to square off against Ohio State on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET.



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Kentucky

Evening Briefing in the Bluegrass

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Evening Briefing in the Bluegrass


Good evening, Kentucky. We’re wrapping up the day for you with the most important stories you need to know and your weather outlook.

Your Weather Planner

Overnight will be warm and muggy, with a stray shower. Otherwise it will be partly cloudy with lows in the 70s. 

Tomorrow’s Forecast

The heat is on with heat index values in the triple digits for Thursday. Afternoon and evening temperatures will jump into the upper 80s and lower 90s, paired with dew points in the 70s. This will help additional shower and storm development into the afternoon. Expect torrential rain, gusty winds and frequent cloud-to-ground lightning with any storm that pops up. 

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Expect rainfall amounts up to an inch in most storms, with amounts in the 2 to 3 inch range with some of the stronger cells. This could lead to brief localized flash flooding in areas that have seen repeated rounds of rainfall. 

Get your 7-day forecast: Louisville | Lexington | Bowling Green | Northern Kentucky

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Watch the latest news and more local stories from across the country.


Today’s Big Stories

1. Documents reveal new details surrounding Crystal Rogers’ disappearance

The documents named Rosemary Houck and Nick Houck as unindicted co-conspirators, suggesting Rosemary was using a temporary or different phone before and after Rogers’ disappearance.

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2. Hosparus Health plans to create end-of-life care center

Hosparus Health’s planned 10,000-square-foot facility will have 21 care rooms, kitchen, chapel and an outdoor garden.

(Spectrum News 1/Destinee Flowers)

3. 20 states sue Trump administration over FEMA funding for disaster preparedness

It was the 32nd lawsuit filed by the group since January.

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Kevin Scott searches for Aiden Heartfield, who went camping and is missing, through debris along the Guadalupe River after flooding in Kerrville, Texas on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

4. State lawmakers host bipartisan roundtable on diaper needs

State Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong, D-Louisville, and State Rep. Vanessa Grossl, R-Lexington, co-hosted the event. Both lawmakers have been vocal about the high cost of diapers.


Your Notes for Tomorrow

  • Rehabilitation of the Bourgard College of Art and Music historic property | Louisville | 10:30 a.m.
  • Annual meeting for UofL Board of Trustees | Louisville | 1:05 p.m.
  • Unemployment Insurance Weekly Claims Report – Initial Claims

#OneKentucky


 

Post your videos, photos or notes using #OneKentucky on your favorite social media account. We’ll share your uplifting and positive pictures each day on Spectrum News 1.

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Archie Goodwin seeks redemption at Kentucky with La Familia in TBT

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Archie Goodwin seeks redemption at Kentucky with La Familia in TBT


Archie Goodwin has four years of The Basketball Tournament (TBT) experience, helping perennial power Eberlein Drive reach the semifinals last summer; however, this year, he jumped at the chance to join La Familia for a second shot at Kentucky Basketball glory.

Goodwin played for Eberlein Drive, one of the two remaining teams from the inaugural TBT, since 2021. Last summer, he was one of the stars of Eberlein Drive’s run to the semifinals, where they lost to Forever Coogs, Houston’s alumni team. Goodwin’s season at Kentucky didn’t go as he’d hoped — after Nerlens Noel went down, the Cats failed to make the NCAA Tournament — but he is eager to reunite with Big Blue Nation and maybe get some redemption.

“It means a lot to me. I think when I was here in 2012, we had an up-and-down year. And I think that the way that season ended left a lot of the fanbase looking at that team in a certain way, in a certain light. And so for me to be a part of that team, and then being able to come back to this, if we could win or get close to winning, it could be a way of them being able to see, like, okay, hey, these guys, maybe they didn’t [win big], they weren’t ready then, but they got the opportunity to come back and make it right, and do something as well.

“It’s not the NCAA [Tournament], but it is something that’s competitive in that it means something. You’re playing against other pros and you want to win. So there’s still a competitive edge there, and it’s still something that we can win under the name of Kentucky that will mean something to the program.”

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Goodwin is confident that had Noel not torn his ACL in the Florida game in February 2013 that Kentucky would have made the tournament — in fact, he thinks the Cats’ resume was good enough to make it regardless; however, he understands fans’ frustration that the squad only made the NIT, one season after winning the national championship.

“I take it for what it was,” Goodwin said of his time at Kentucky. “I think we had some highs, and we did have some lows. I think that everybody pretty much knows that if Nerlens [Noel] doesn’t get hurt, we have a different season because of what he meant to our team, but I also understand, like, hey, it did happen, and we did have the team that we did once he went down.”

“So I kind of see both, but I try to think of it in a positive light, because I understand the frustration of a fanbase and of a crowd, knowing that they want to win certain games, and we just weren’t able to, because we’re missing certain players.”

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BBN’s support: “Man, it’s amazing; don’t find it nowhere else.”

Goodwin could face his former squad if La Familia and Eberlein Drive both make it to the Lexington Regional championship Tuesday night. As a TBT vet, he likes La Familia’s chances and is going to focus on playing a supporting, not starring, role.

“I was one of the top players last year. I really just helped the team with just fitting in and doing the little things. Like, I didn’t have any crazy games like that. I had moments, but I think that it’s about just doing the little things to help the team win that’ll stand out and help us.

We have so many guys that it could be anybody tonight on any given day. So with me knowing that, it’s just about me coming in, being a good defender, making the right plays, being a leader, vocal, and making sure we’re doing the things that we need to do to help us win, staying connected with each other. And as long as we do that, we’ll be fine.”

Of course, home-court advantage could play a huge role. Goodwin is counting on Big Blue Nation to bring it at Memorial Coliseum this weekend.

“I expect them to come out and be strong and be supportive as they always are. I think that we have a great group. I think that we’ll come out and play hard and try to win over the fans, as we always do, so we’re just looking for their support, and I know they’ll give it, because they always give it.”

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Since going to the pros in 2013, Goodwin has made the rounds in the NBA, G League, and overseas. He most recently played for the Jiangsu Dragons in the Chinese Basketball Association. At almost every stop, he’s encountered Kentucky fans, proof of the fanbase’s unique reach.

“I think the difference is how passionate the fans are,” Goodwin said of Kentucky fans compared to others. “I think you don’t have too many fanbases like this in college. Maybe Duke is the only one I can compare close to the fanbase that we have here. But there aren’t many fanbases where you can go — I was in Italy one year, and there were Kentucky fans that recognized me there. You know what I mean? It doesn’t happen like that. I’ve been in Germany, and I’ve had Kentucky fans recognize me.

“So, you don’t have that everywhere, where they’re really worldwide. It’s just a different impact that Kentucky basketball has had. And a large part of that, I think, is due to Coach Cal’s era, from getting John Wall and those guys and starting that whole way that he did. I think a lot of the fanbase came from that era, and they’re everywhere. Man, it’s amazing. Don’t find it nowhere else.”

DeAndre Liggins, who has played professionally for 14 years all across the world, agrees.

“It’s a great fanbase. You’ve got other fanbases out there, like North Carolina, Duke, but it’s nothing like Kentucky. Because you hear Kentucky, it’s like, even players who never played here, they know about the tradition, and they never experienced it. They just, I tell them Kentucky, they’d be like, ‘Wow,’ so it’s just a big deal.”

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Both Goodwin and Liggins are also enjoying being back in their own stomping grounds — even if it’s sometimes hard to recognize due to all the upgrades to Kentucky’s campus. Although they’re among some of the older players on the team, they’re enjoying getting to know their younger counterparts and swapping stories.

“I only played with the Doron, but everybody’s still a family; we all bleed blue and white,” Liggins said. “Every year, my family has a family reunion, like my blood family. These guys are not my blood, but we bleed blue, so to come back here and be around these guys, I haven’t seen their faces for so long. We’re all overseas playing, but come back and reunite, that’s a great feeling. Bringing up old stories from when we were here. Just a great feeling.”

“Honestly, I’m just happy to be around the environment,” Goodwin said. “The environment was what’s most important to me. Being here, being around some of the old guys, and seeing some of the old people who were here when I was here. That’s what I was looking forward to, and I got to see some people today. That’s what I want to see. And I want to see the young guys, I want to see new groups. I want to see how they are, be able to meet those guys, talk to them, interact with them, and see what their mindset is.”

La Familia opens TBT play Friday night vs. Stroh’s Squad at Memorial Coliseum (9 p.m. ET, FS1). If they win, they’ll play the winner of War Ready, the Auburn alumni Team, and X-Rayted on Sunday (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX). The winner of that game will advance to the Lexington Regional championship on Tuesday night (6 p.m., FS2).

The winner of the Lexington Regional will play the winner of the Louisville Regional in the quarterfinals on Monday, July 28, at 6 p.m. on FS1. The semifinals and $1 million winner-take-all championship game will be July 31 and Aug. 3. 

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Video Gunman kills pastor’s wife and daughter in Lexington, Kentucky church shooting

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Video Gunman kills pastor’s wife and daughter in Lexington, Kentucky church shooting


Gunman kills pastor’s wife and daughter in Lexington, Kentucky church shooting

A church community in Lexington, Kentucky is grieving after a man opened fire– killing the pastor’s wife and daughter, injuring the pastor and his son-in-law.

July 14, 2025



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