Higgy’s Top 5 KFC Yum Center Games

Since 2010, the KFC Yum Center has been filling up my Saturdays and many weeknights of my life. There have been many games that were part of Final Four seasons and even a Championship season. Below are my top 5 games since the KFC Yum Center opened.

#5 – #18 Butler vs Louisville 11-16-10:

This game was the very first game in the Yum Center. This game brought in defending national runner up Butler Bulldogs. This was supposed to be the “Bridge Year” according to Coach Pitino. We had a senior on this team, Preston Knowles. I remember telling my dad the whole night that we are going to beat them. He was like “son, you know they just lost to Duke last year in the national title”. I kept believing in Preston Knowles, Kyle Kuric, Peyton Siva, and Mike Marra. They prevailed 88-73. The 2010-2011 is one of my top 5 teams of my childhood but, that’s a discussion for another day.

#4 – #18 Vanderbilt vs #6 Louisville 12-2-2011:

This game was the first SEC opponent outside of Kentucky. This was the first time I couldn’t hear the person standing next to me. Vanderbilt had some very strong talented players on their roster. Kyle Kuric came out hot and stayed hot. Also, this game is where we got a glimpse into the future with Peyton Siva, Russ Smith, and Gourgi Dieng on the team. My ears were ringing for days after Peyton Siva hit that that layup in overtime.

#3 – #2 North Carolina vs #19 Louisville 2-1-2016:

This game was the highlight of my sophomore year of college. I remember thinking, “how is this team going to bounce back after getting beat by 16 to Virginia less than 48 hours before this game?”. During this game, we were able to really see how special Trey Lewis and Damion Lee really were. Damion Lee went off for 24pts. Freshman Donovan Mitchell also came out strong. This game was crazy and the Yum Center was rocking on Big Monday.

#2 – #4 Michigan vs #1 Louisville 12-3-19:

During this game, all I could yell was that WE ARE BACK!!! This game was amazing! I am glad I got to experience this with my future wife Meagan. We got to rematch one of the 2013 National Title teams that us, as Cardinals fans, needed to put the past behind us. I was happy to see us back on top of  college basketball and I was happy to see the future of this program develop.

#1 – #6 Kentucky vs #10 Louisville 12-21-16:

This was my all time favorite Yum Center game. This was the game where the picture in the beginning of this story began. This game showed how Q Snider was truly the best guard in the state of Kentucky. Donovan Mitchell and Jaylen Johnson also showed out during this game. This was the loudest I have ever heard the Yum Center! Anytime we can beat the school to the east I am very happy.