Fans react to Kentucky guard Koby Brea's fan interaction

Koby Brea proved that rivalries don't have to be all bitterness. After he and the No. 12 Kentucky Wildcats narrowly defeated No. 8 Tennessee 78-73 on Tuesday, UK Sports Network's Michelle Knezovic captured a comical interaction between Brea and a young Tennessee fan.

In the video shared on X, the boy, clad in a Tennessee jersey, approached the senior guard shyly. Brea quickly offered his hand for a high five. The young Tennessee fan high-fived the Wildcats player before posing alongside him for photos. X users were amused by the unlikely interaction.

"Legendary meme material," X user @Bobgoated1 said.

Koby Brea has strong game, lifts Kentucky past Tennessee

Even Vols fans like the boy in the meme-worthy video couldn't ignore Koby Brea's performance in Knoxville during Tuesday's upset road win. The transfer from Dayton made just his second start this season and led the team with 18 points, recording a perfect field-goal percentage (5 of 5) and playing 31 minutes of the close matchup.

"He made some great shots, didn't he?" Kentucky coach Mark Pope said. "With these really special, gifted shooters ... we hadn't spent zero seconds thinking about it. Great shooters shoot and make shots. I think he's arguably the best shooter in all of basketball in a lot of different aspects."

This was a standout game for the senior, who averages just 6.6 points away this season with a 31.9% shooting percentage.

Syndication: The Knoxville News-Sentinel - Source: Imagn

Brea's strong performance was much needed in the rivalry game.

Although Kentucky (15-5, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) led for the majority of the first half, an 11-0 run by the Vols (17-4, 4-4) near the end of the first half led to the Wildcats being down 33-30 at halftime. Kentucky quickly regained momentum in the second half and pulled ahead, but Tennessee refused to give up, bringing the game within three points with 3:44 left to play.

At this point, strategy and clutch free throws from the senior guard kept Kentucky in control. Brea drew a foul and made both of his free throws (contributing to a 71.4% free-throw percentage on the night), to return it to a two-possession game.

NCAA Basketball: Kentucky at Tennessee - Source: Imagn

So, when the Wildcats pulled off the win to rise above .500 in SEC conference play, everyone was eager to congratulate Brea, even the young Vols fan.