By Keith Taylor
Special to NKyTribune
The Kentucky men’s basketball team will open the season with three games in five days as part of a 13-game, non-conference schedule released by the school Monday.
The Wildcats open the season against Stephen F. Austin on Nov. 11 and will take on Michigan State four days later on Nov. 15 in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden. Kentucky also will play North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic on Dec. 17 in Las Vegas, Nevada. UCLA will make its first visit to Rupp Arena on Dec. 3 and Kentucky will play Arizona State in the Bahamas on Nov. 28.
Just like last season, Kentucky will take a break during conference play and will host Kansas in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge on Jan. 28 at Rupp Arena.
“What we try to do with our schedule every year is challenge our players with the best teams in the country while also preparing them for that March run, which is what this program has been built on,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said. “This is not an easy task, and sometimes we go too far. Hopefully, this isn’t one of those years. When you combine the teams we’re playing with the travel we have, this might be the toughest schedule we’ve ever attempted. I can’t wait to get this started.”
In its fourth straight trip to the Barclays Center in New York, Kentucky will take on Hofstra on Nov. 11.
Kentucky’s non-conference foes went 290-157 last season and four of those teams — Kansas, North Carolina, Michigan State and Louisville — ended the season ranked in the RPI Top 25.
Kentucky will play the Cardinals on Dec. 21 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville. Kentucky’s SEC schedule, which has yet to be released, will feature nine home games and nine away contests. The SEC Tournament is set for March 8-12 in Nashville.
Kentucky’s games against Canisius, Duquesne, Cleveland State and UT Martin are part of the Bluegrass Showcase at Rupp Arena.
UK Schedule
Oct. 14 Big Blue Madness, 7 p.m.
Oct. 21 Blue-White Game, 7 p.m.
Oct. 30 Clarion (exhibition), 7 p.m.
Nov. 6 Asbury (exhibition), 7 p.m.
Nov. 11 Stephen F. Austin
FYI: Went 28-6 and lost in second round of NCAA Tournament)
Nov. 13 Canisius
FYI: Third meeting between two schools, first since 1997.
Nov. 15 Michigan State (Madison Square Garden)
FYI: finished 29-6 last year and lost in first round of NCAA Tournament.
Nov. 20 Duquesne
FYI: UK defeated the Dukes 55-42 in first meeting in 1982.
Nov. 23 Cleveland State
FYI: UK owns 2-0 lead in series.
Nov. 25 UT-Martin
FYI: Skyhawks one of rising teams in OVC, finished 20-15 last year.
Nov. 28 vs. Arizona State (Atlantis, Bahamas)
FYI: The Sun Devils are 0-4 against the Wildcats.
Dec. 3 UCLA
FYI: The two powerhouses have played just 12 times, with the Bruins owning a 7-5 advantage in series
Dec. 7 Valparaiso
FYI: Valpo lost in the NIT finals and went 30-7 last year.
Dec. 11 Hofstra
FYI: First meeting between the two teams
Dec. 17 North Carolina (Las Vegas)
FYI: The Tar Heels finished runner-up in the NCAA Tourney last year, compiling a 33-7 record.
Dec. 21 at Louisville
FYI: Calipari is 8-1 against the Cardinals in his tenure as coach.
Jan. 6 Kansas
FYI: The Jayhawks went 33-5 last year and lost in the NCAA Elite Eight.
Keith Taylor is a senior sports writer for KyForward, where he primarily covers University of Kentucky sports. Reach him at keith.taylor@kyforward.com or @keithtaylor21 on Twitter
