Rupp Arena’s status as a legendary venue in college basketball has long been celebrated by Kentucky fans, and now even a former opponent is defending the arena’s legendary atmosphere. Solomon Callaghan, a redshirt freshman at Wright State, had the chance to experience Rupp firsthand when his team faced the Wildcats in the 2024-25 season opener, a 103-62 loss in Lexington.
Despite the overwhelming defeat, Callaghan couldn’t help but be awestruck by the intensity of the environment inside Rupp Arena. After coming across a TikTok video that excluded Rupp Arena from a list of top college basketball venues, Callaghan felt compelled to speak out in defense of the arena he’ll never forget.
In a TikTok response, Callaghan passionately declared, “I’m not going to let this slide… How are you not putting Rupp Arena top five? When I tell you it was the craziest environment I’ve ever seen… It was the loudest. I’m talking Game 7, Cavs versus Warriors in 2016. It was rocking.”
Callaghan shared the impact of the pregame atmosphere, recalling the dramatic light show and fireworks that had his team rattled before the game even started. “Lights come off, blue lights come down, they’re shooting off fireworks, bro. There’s fire in the gym. Everybody was shook in the huddle. We didn’t know what to do,” he said.
The roar of nearly 20,000 Kentucky fans made a lasting impression on Callaghan, who admitted, “I can still hear that in my dreams. It was the loudest environment.” His heartfelt tribute to the power of Rupp Arena’s fanbase ended with a message to the world of college basketball: “For the love of the game, for the love of college basketball, I just gotta say something because I saw that video and was, like, you’re talking way out of pocket here.”
In a rare moment of agreement between a rival player and Kentucky fans, Callaghan’s tribute to Rupp Arena has earned widespread approval. Fans of the Big Blue Nation can thank Callaghan for sticking up for one of college basketball’s most iconic arenas.
