By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today
The Kentucky men’s basketball schedule for the upcoming season is complete.
The Wildcats will take on Nicholls State, Valparaiso and Eastern Illinois in the BBN United Tipoff Classic at Rupp Arena.
Kentucky will play Nicholls State in the season opener on Nov. 4, followed by Valparaiso on Nov. 7 and Eastern Illinois a week later on Nov. 14. Kentucky’s contests against Nicholls State and Eastern Illinois will be the first time the Wildcats have faced either squad. Kentucky defeated Valparaiso in the previous two meetings. Kentucky defeated Valparaiso 87-63 in 2016 and came away with an 83-68 win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2002 in Saint Louis.
The BBN United is a new unveiled official fan club of UK Athletics. The innovative loyalty and membership program is developed and operated by fan experience leader Two Circle and UK’s longstanding multimedia rights partner, JMI Sports. Members of Big Blue Nation can join the club to receive limited-edition merchandise, exclusive content and memorable experiences.
Kentucky takes on Louisville on Nov. 11, followed by Michigan State in the Champions Classic a week later on Nov. 18 at Madison Square Garden. The team’s season-opener is against Loyola of Maryland on Nov. 21, the first of three straight home games. Kentucky then takes on Tennessee Tech on Nov. 26 and North Carolina in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Dec. 2.
The series against Gonzaga will be played at Bridgestone Arena on Dec. 5, followed by North Carolina Central (Dec. 9) and Indiana on Dec. 13 at Rupp Arena.
Kentucky coach Mark Pope will face his former coach Rick Pitino when Kentucky meets St. John’s on Dec. 20 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Kentucky also will host Bellarmine on Dec. 23. The two exhibition games are against Purdue (Oct. 24) and Georgetown (Oct. 30). Both contests will be at Rupp Arena.
Kentucky will open league play at Alabama on Jan. 3, the first of five road games in the first month of the calendar year. The Wildcats are also at LSU (Jan. 14 or 14), Tennessee (Jan. 17), Vanderbilt (Jan. 27 or 28) and close out the month on Jan. 31 at Arkansas.
The home games in January include Missouri (Jan. 6 or 7), Mississippi State (Jan. 10), Texas (Jan. 20 or 21) and Ole Miss (Jan. 24).
Kentucky will host Oklahoma (Feb. 3), Tennessee (Feb. 7), Georgia (Feb. 17 or 18), Vanderbilt (Feb. 28), with road encounters at Florida (Feb. 14), Auburn (Feb. 21) and South Carolina (Feb. 24 or 25).
The Wildcats are at Texas A&M on March 3 or 4 and will close out the regular season against Florida on March 7 at Rupp Arena.