The season is quickly approaching as the Cardinals' blockbuster preseason showdown with the Kansas Jayhawks is less than a month away. Louisville basketball has a gauntlet of a non-conference schedule, but the one game everyone has circled is the November 11 showdown at KFC Yum! Center against the Kentucky Wildcats.
The rivalry is at an all-time high right now, with both programs likely to be among the top 10 teams and national title contenders. The fans hate eachother, but the coaches appear to have a lot of respect for eachother, despite their recent "UFC fight" over a recruiting situation.
However, in the midst of the Pat Kelsey and Mark Pope situation, the Cardinals' head coach sent a fiery message to Louisville fans, which has them pumped for the November showdown.
Related: Louisville's non-conference schedule proves the Kentucky clash is on the perfect date
Pat Kelsey sends a fiery message to Louisville fans
For those who haven't heard, Kelsey and Mark Pope got into a bit of an altercation surrounding recruiting and Taylen Kinney. Kelsey finally addressed the situation and made fun of how the media had blown it out of proportion, stating, "The dream was, this was a UFC fight, Dana White, the president of UFC is here."
Kelsey then went on to give Pope a lot of praise on and off the court, but ended his speach with a fiery message that has Louisville fans ready to run through a brick wall.
"I'm a competitor. He's the head coach at one of the best programs in the country. So am I." Kelsey stated. "We compete on the court, we compete in recruiting, we go at it. But you know what, there's honor among thieves. We really respect each other. I think Mark Pope is one of the finest human beings in coaching. World class father, world class husband, and I still want to tear his face off when we play in November."
Today at the Salute to the Game luncheon for the St. X - Trinity football game.... Louisville's Pat Kelsey was the special guest speaker.... he lightly addressed the rumors that he and Mark Pope got into a verbal altercation on a recruiting trip a while back. @WHAS11 pic.twitter.com/l2WCakSf8O
— Kent Spencer (@WHAS11Kent) September 25, 2025
Kelsey might have started it off by joking and giving Pope some love, but the ending statement—that he is ready to "tear his face off" — has the Cardinals' fan base ready for war. Kelsey has completely flipped this program around and has built a culture like no other.
The fans are fully invested in this program again, and despite Louisville being 2-8 in the last 10 matchups against Kentucky, they are here to tell the Wildcats fans that this coach is turning it around and they won't just dominate November 11 and recruiting, but they are going to be the king of the state moving forward.
Related: Pat Kelsey’s master plan puts Louisville in position to land 5-star Taylen Kinney
For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.