Kerr Kriisa caught a fish with his bare hands in Seattle (and other sights and sounds)

Kentucky headed to the Pacific Northwest early to prepare for its nighttime showdown against No. 7 Gonzaga. The Wildcats flew out Thursday afternoon to get settled in before Friday’s practice and walkthrough – a little team contact before things get serious on Saturday.

Not Mark Pope Love Getting out of the team’s typical routine and staying in Seattle “a little longer than normal,” but you can make the most of it by making the 2,400 mile trip across the country, right? Even more so since he hails from Bellevue, Washington – across Lake Washington from Seattle – where he makes his home with friends and family.

“Seattle is a great city and I love it very much, so I’m looking forward to coming back,” he told reporters early Thursday afternoon.

The Wildcats have certainly been busy since their arrival.

Kerr Kriisa catches a fish at Pike Place Market

How are you preparing for the battle in Seattle? By catching a fish at Pike Place Market, of course. It is the oldest continuously operating farmers market in the country and world famous for fish throwing. With up to 200 fish a day, visitors regularly try to catch one themselves, and who else but Kerr Kriisa would better represent the Kentucky basketball team behind the bar?

The fifth grader came, he saw, and he conquered – although the sliminess definitely surprised him.

Waking up on game day like…😹💙

(🎥 about @KentuckyMBB) pic.twitter.com/wZczcpBzap

– KSR (@KSRonX) December 7, 2024

Cats look at the Space Needle

If you want to catch a fish at Pike Place Market, you have to stop by here other Apparently, Seattle is a popular tourist destination. The Cats went to see the Space Needle in town, The City landmark built in advance of the 1962 World’s Fair. The 605-foot team made the 43-second elevator ride to the top and enjoyed the view.

Kriisa, Collin Chandler, Andrew Carr and Grant Darbyshire were the bravest of the bunch, while Jaxson Robinson was unwilling to stand on the glass.

📍Space Needle, Seattle, WA pic.twitter.com/9NRFg1saq7

— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) December 7, 2024

Practice at Seattle University

As far as the real thing goes, the team brought a lot of that with them too. The Wildcats took a quick trip to Seattle University for practice on Friday and got some work in at the Redhawks’ facility after Western Athletic Conference play.

Carr, Kriisa, Robinson, Otega Oweh, Amari Williams, Koby Brea, Brandon Garrison, Ansley Almonor and Trent Noah are all pictured or included in training footage. Lamont Butler was, intentionally or not, left out of the obvious shots.

The Cats will need their starting point guard against the No. 7 team in college basketball. We’ll see if he can try it, but unfortunately no early indications.