Perhaps no state in the nation loves its basketball more than Kentucky. And few rivalries in college sports can compare to the one between the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky, especially when it comes to claiming bragging rights on the hardwood.

In his new film The Rivalry: Red V. Blue, producer/director Rory Owen Delaney delves into the long-held, impassioned rivalry that splits the state – and sometimes even families – as Kentuckians are forced to choose allegiances for either the Wildcats or the Cardinals at basketball time. The Rivalry: Red V. Blue premieres Monday, Feb. 9 at 9/8 pm on KET.

The documentary is the first to thoroughly examine the deep and uncommon rivalry between the two teams – and how their fans will go to great and sometimes strange lengths to support their beloved Cards or ‘Cats.

“Red V. Blue addresses the strange and at times downright bizarre circumstances that combined to ignite the rivalry in the first place, and which continue to flame the passion and intense competition between the two schools today,” said Delaney, a Louisville native who now lives in California.

The documentary captures footage from the University of Kentucky’s 2012 National Championship win from New Orleans and the University of Louisville’s National Championship win in 2013 from Atlanta.

It also features interviews with former coaches Denny Crum and Joe B. Hall; sports commentators Oscar Combs,  Pat Forde, Matt Jones, Jim Host and others; former UK players including Derek Anderson and Scott Padgett; former UofL players including Russ Smith, Gorgui Dieng and Peyton Siva; former Governor John Y. Brown; and many “super” fans across the state.

“Red V. Blue is more than the story of the fiercest rivalry in college basketball. It is the story of the central role that college basketball plays in the lives of Kentuckians, rural and urban,” Delaney said.

The Rivalry: Red V. Blue is a production of Man Bites Dog Films, produced and directed by Rory Owen Delaney.

KET is Kentucky’s largest classroom, serving more than one million people each week via television, online and mobile. Learn more about Kentucky’s preeminent public media organization on Twitter @KET and facebook.com/KET and at KET.org.

Contact:

Todd Piccirilli
Senior Director, Marketing and Communications
859-258-7242
tpiccirilli@ket.org