With five minutes and seven seconds remaining in a very good game between the Louisville Cardinals and Kentucky Wildcats, a disappointingly dormant rivalry erupted back to life in Rupp Arena.
Louisville guard Reyne Smith dove on the floor for a loose ball in front of the Cardinals’ bench. Kentucky big man Brandon Garrison bent down and attempted to yank the ball away, but in the process fouled Smith. Tempers flared briefly—did Garrison attempt to drop a foot on Smith’s chest?—and Garrison was pushed by a scrum of players into the Louisville bench, a white jersey surrounded by red. Wildcats guard Lamont Butler joined the hubbub, and coach Mark Pope sprinted over to make sure nothing escalated. So did a handful of sheriffs, who quickly appeared on the court.
