Coaches from Ohio University, Xavier, Cincinnati and Notre Dame have all been on Poplar Level Road recently to check out the 2023-24 Tiger basketball team, which kicks off its season on November 28, aiming to make their first trip to Rupp Arena since 1995.

After a productive last season, which included the emergence of perhaps the most talented freshman class in recent memory and an increased workload on the sophomore players, the Tigers have both the experience and talent to justify the hype they are receiving this offseason.

Last season, sources close to the program said that the team wasn’t garnering much attention from college coaches. This season, however, the squad has coaches circling the building.

Junior Graham Krezmien credits this buzz to the hard work the team is putting in, saying, “We are working harder than any team in the state, and it’s going to show this season.”

“Lick-back season,” as Graham describes it, is in full swing, and the Tigers are ready to pounce.

*Bellarmine University has attended a workout since publishing this article.