The Kentucky Wildcats are facing off against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden. A couple of high-level Kentucky recruits are in attendance for the game. Watching the Wildcats in an amazing venue is a fun opportunity for both Kentucky and these recruits. One of those recruits is already locked in for the 2025 class; the other is a potential recruit in 2026.
2025 Kentucky commit Acaden Lewis posted on his social media that he is enjoying his future team while taking in the Wildcats vs Buckeyes game.
Acaden Lewis is at the CBS Sports Classic, it looks like he will be watching Kentucky face off against Ohio State in another hour. #BBN pic.twitter.com/mzjgfn2j9n
— Chris Beasmore (@CBeasmoreSports) December 21, 2024
Lewis is one of the best point guards in the class for next year; a native of Washington, DC picked Kentucky over offers from tons of the top programs like Duke, UConn, North Carolina, and more. He currently projects as the Wildcats starting point guard next year, with both Lamont Butler and Kerr Kriisa graduating.
The other top recruit who is watching the Kentucky game at Madison Square Garden is 5-star 2026 guard Deron Rippey. Jason Hart has been recruiting him lately for Kentucky. Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com posted today that he will be in attendance and watching the Cats.
5 ⭐️ PG Deron Rippey will be at MSG for @KentuckyMBB’s matchup with Ohio State in the @CBSSports Classic, his dad tells https://t.co/eGWvcdAQoy
— Charlie Parent (@charlie_parent) December 21, 2024
Coach Jason Hart has been in contact with Rippey as of late @rippey_deron pic.twitter.com/syaUiFAUne
Rippey holds offers from all over the country, and once again, most of the top programs are working to secure a commitment from him. Programs like Kansas, Purdue, Louisville, Villanova, Illinois, Washington, etc. He has yet to narrow down his list as he's playing his junior year of high school basketball.
Rippey hails from Blairstown, New Jersey, and, similar to Lewis, is a driving distance away from Madison Square Garden. Playing at MSG is a great opportunity to recruit some of the players from the New York area. It's also great for those players who are watching this on national television on CBS Sports. While one recruit is already committed, the other is learning more about the Kentucky Wildcats and how he would fit in the system.