What did UK basketball players tell the Rupp Arena crowd after Senior Night win over LSU?
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Game day: No. 19 Kentucky 95, LSU 64
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Tuesday night’s men’s basketball game between Kentucky and LSU in Rupp Arena.
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Following Kentucky basketball’s 95-64 Senior Night trouncing of LSU on Tuesday at Rupp Arena, the departing members of this season’s UK basketball team had one final surprise in store for fans.
Once the postgame handshake line between the Wildcats and Tigers was finished, UK basketball coach Mark Pope rounded up his team at midcourt. Then, the talking began.
First came Pope, thanking Kentucky fans for the support they’ve shown all season long, and in particular in Lexington at Rupp Arena. In his first season as the UK head coach, Pope piloted the Wildcats to a 15-3 home record, which included ranked wins — at the time of the game — against No. 5 Tennessee, No. 6 Florida and No. 11 Texas A&M.
Kentucky also scored an all-important home win against Louisville, a school currently ranked No. 14 in the AP poll, in December.
Pope rattled off the accomplishments of this season’s Kentucky squad, which featured 12 scholarship players who had never before played at UK.
Pope cited the seven wins that UK has over teams ranked in the top 15 of the AP poll at the time of the game — a school record for top-15 wins in a regular season — as well as the nine Quad 1 wins that UK has this season.
“My seniors desperately wanted to give closing remarks, a speech,” Pope concluded.
Then, Pope turned the microphone over to his players.
One by one, all six of the Kentucky players honored during Tuesday’s Senior Night festivities — Ansley Almonor, Koby Brea, Lamont Butler, Andrew Carr, Jaxson Robinson and Amari Williams — took a turn addressing the remaining fans in Rupp and explaining what their season as Wildcats has meant to them.
“What’s up BBN! We’ll keep it short,” said Carr, who had eight points and six rebounds against the Tigers in his final game in Lexington. “I just wanted to say thank you to all of BBN from the bottom of my heart. I’m a Wildcat for life … I’ll be back and go Cats!”
Next came Butler, who had five points, five assists and five rebounds against LSU.
“It’s a dream come true for me and we’re not done yet!” said Butler, who has played and started in three straight games for Kentucky after missing a three-game stretch for the second time this season due to a left shoulder injury.
The next Wildcat to speak was Robinson, who has already played his final game of college basketball. Robinson reaggravated a right wrist injury during last week’s UK win at Oklahoma. After Kentucky’s home loss to Auburn on Saturday, Pope announced Robinson would be undergoing wrist surgery on Wednesday and would miss the rest of the season.
Robinson’s remarks during his speech to the Rupp Arena crowd, as well as his postgame interview on the UK radio broadcast, were his first public comments since the announcement that his college playing career has ended.
“I just want to take this time to shout-out my teammates, coaches, my parents … Thank you for a great ride this year,” Robinson said to a large cheer.
Of the Kentucky players who were honored on Senior Night, only one was actually a true, four-year senior. That was Almonor, who previously spent three seasons at Fairleigh Dickinson.
Almonor drained three 3-pointers and scored a season-best 15 points in his Rupp Arena bow, and had plenty of kind words to say afterward.
“You guys are the reason why Kentucky is what it is today,” Almonor said in a nod to the UK fan base. “You guys make this program so special. Your support is just one of a kind.”
But, Almonor wasn’t done yet.
“I come from a small town in New York,” Almonor continued, referencing his hometown of Spring Valley in New York state, population about 33,000 as of the 2020 U.S. census. “A lot of people didn’t think I’d make it here, so I just want to thank God for allowing me to make it to this level … Chasing (banner) No. 9, let’s go!”
Next came Brea, who came to Kentucky with a reputation as one of college basketball’s best 3-point shooters. He’s lived up to that billing for most of this season, and Brea added two more makes from deep in Tuesday night’s destruction of LSU.
“First and foremost, I want to thank God for the opportunity to be here with you all,” Brea began. “Most importantly, I want to thank you guys for accepting me with open arms since I got to campus. It’s been a hell of a year and we still have a lot more work to do, so let’s get it.”
Last came Williams, the 7-foot Englishman who has asserted himself for the Wildcats as a physical presence at the rim and a dynamic, non-traditional ball handler away from it.
Usually not one for many words, Williams also kept his postgame speech on the shorter side.
“It means a lot to me and my teammates, so I just want to say thank you,” Williams said of the fan support shown toward UK this season, which has resulted in a vibrant energy at Rupp Arena.
While Tuesday marked the final UK game played at Rupp for the 2024-25 season, it won’t be the last men’s college basketball contest at the venue as it is one of eight host sites for the first and second rounds of this year’s NCAA Tournament. But, NCAA rules don’t allow teams to play first- or second-round games on its home court.
Regardless, Tuesday’s send-off offered plenty of encouragement before Kentucky fans begin fanning out across the country in support of the Cats.
UK closes the regular season at No. 15 Missouri on Saturday, before playing in the SEC Tournament in Nashville next week.
This story was originally published March 4, 2025 at 10:52 PM.
