Five takeaways from Kentucky WBB's schedule release
The time for talk is almost over. All summer long, the BBN has raved about the turnaround that Kenny Brooks has done in his brief time in Lexington. In just a few short weeks, Kentucky will take the court against USC Upstate, and we’ll see what the Cats are truly made of then.
In case you needed further indication that the season is rapidly approaching, the tip times and TV assignments for Kentucky’s schedule were announced on Thursday.
KSR already brought you five takeaways from the men’s basketball schedule, and now, we do the same for the women’s basketball schedule. Let’s get to it.
First, let’s get the complaints out of the way…
This season calls for a lot of excitement, but there are a few very inconvenient dates and times on the schedule.
Firstly, both the men’s and women’s basketball teams open their seasons on November 4th, and that’s not ideal. It would be better if one was in the morning and one was at night, but no. Sadly, that’s not how it goes. The women’s team will play against USC Upstate at 5 p.m., while the men’s team takes on Wright State at 7 p.m.
The attendance for both games (not even just the women’s team) is going to suffer because people will have to pick and choose. Obviously, a lot of (if not all of) that stuff is pretty much out of UK’s control, but those overlaps are certainly unfortunate.
Here are some additional overlaps to keep in mind:
Tuesday, Nov. 12
- WBB vs Wofford (Home, 6 p.m.)
- MBB vs Duke in the Champions Classic (Neutral site, 9 p.m.)
Saturday, Nov. 16
- WBB vs Louisville (Home, 6 p.m.)
- FB vs Murray State (Home, 1:30 p.m.)
Saturday, Dec. 14
- WBB vs Purdue (Away, 5 p.m.)
- MBB vs Louisville (Home, 5:15 p.m.)
Also, the Louisville/Kentucky women’s basketball game certainly deserves a spot on national television, but college football overrules that. Unfortunate.
Enough whining. Now, onto the good stuff.
Really awesome slate of home games
Speaking of that Louisville game, Kentucky has an awesome slate of home games this season. The Cats will get the Cards, Texas, LSU and Tennessee at home this year — all games that even the most casual of fans get get in to.
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Additionally, matchups against Mississippi State, Alabama, and an improved Georgia team should all be good intra-conference games for the BBN to see. Then, you also have WKU and Northern Kentucky coming to Lexington as well.
Two primetime ESPN slots? Yippee!
Depending on how things shake up, Kentucky vs LSU could be one of the most watched games in women’s college basketball this season, apart from the early season matchups some of the top teams in the country are doing before conference play.
Not only should Memorial Coliseum be jam-packed for the game, but it’ll be on ESPN as well. Not ESPN2 or ESPNU, but the ESPN. Additionally, Kentucky wraps up its season by taking on South Carolina on the road with that game taking place on ESPN as well.
13 nationally televised games
Kentucky won just 12 total games last season, and now, they’ll play 13 games on national television. The Kenny Brooks Effect is in full swing.
The list of those nationally televised games goes as follows:
- Dec. 5: North Carolina (ESPN2)
- Dec. 14: Purdue (Big Ten Network)
- Jan. 9: Florida (SEC Network)
- Jan. 12: Auburn (SEC Network)
- Jan. 23: Texas A&M (SEC Network)
- Jan. 26: Arkansas (SEC Network)
- Jan. 30: Alabama (SEC Network)
- Feb. 2: Oklahoma (SEC Network)
- Feb. 10: Ole Miss (ESPN2)
- Feb. 13: Texas (ESPN2)
- Feb. 23: LSU (ESPN)
- Feb. 27: Tennessee (SEC Network)
- Mar. 2: South Carolina (ESPN)
February is brutal, but opens up opportunities as well
Heading into March, Kentucky is definitely going to be tested. The last month of the regular season is going to be a gauntlet, to say the least. If Kentucky can manage to go .500 in that stretch, it would probably be considered a success for the most part. However, that breeds for opportunity as well.
Knocking off an LSU or an Ole Miss on the road would be absolutely huge for Brooks and his program. Plus, being in that national spotlight, an upset win could pay dividends on the recruiting trail too. Kentucky’s resume would certainly benefit from a big win like that too.
Hopefully, Brooks and the Cats can win some games that they maybe aren’t supposed too.
| Opponent | Location | Date | Tipoff Time | TV Assignment |
| USC Upstate | Historic Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, KY) | Mon; Nov. 4 | 5 p.m. | SEC Network+ |
| Northern Kentucky | Historic Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, KY) | Thu; Nov. 7 | 6 p.m. | SEC Network+ |
| Wofford | Historic Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, KY) | Tue; Nov. 12 | 6 p.m. | SEC Network+ |
| Louisville | Historic Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, KY) | Sat; Nov. 16 | 6 p.m. | SEC Network+ |
| Purdue Fort Wayne | Historic Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, KY) | Mon; Nov. 18 | 6 p.m. | SEC Network+ |
| Arizona State | Trojan Fieldhouse (Nashville, TN) | Tue; Nov. 26 | 4:30 p.m. | BallerTV |
| Illinois | Trojan Fieldhouse (Nashville, TN) | Wed, Nov. 27 | 8 p.m. | BallerTV |
| North Carolina | Carmichael Arena (Chapel Hill, NC) | Thu; Dec. 5 | 5 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Queens | Historic Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, KY) | Mon; Dec. 9 | 6 p.m. | SEC Network+ |
| Purdue | Mackey Arena (West Lafayette, IN) | Sat; Dec. 14 | 5 p.m. | Big Ten Network |
| Belmont | Historic Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, KY) | Fri; Dec. 20 | 6 p.m. | SEC Network+ |
| Western Kentucky | Historic Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, KY) | Sat; Dec. 28 | 4 p.m. | SEC Network+ |
| Mississippi State | Historic Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, KY) | Thu; Jan. 2 | 7 p.m. | SEC Network+ |
| Vanderbilt | Memorial Gymnasium (Nashville, TN) | Sun; Jan. 5 | 3 p.m. | SEC Network+ |
| Florida | Stephen C. O’Connell Center (Gainesville, FL) | Thu; Jan. 9 | 5 p.m. | SEC Network |
| Auburn | Historic Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, KY) | Sun; Jan. 12 | 3 p.m. | SEC Network |
| Georgia | Stegeman Coliseum (Athen, GA) | Sun; Jan. 19 | 2 p.m. | SEC Network+ |
| Texas A&M | Reed Arena (College Station, TX) | Thu; Jan. 23 | 7 p.m. | SEC Network |
| Arkansas | Historic Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, KY) | Sun; Jan. 26 | 12 p.m. | SEC Network |
| Alabama | Historic Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, KY) | Thu; Jan. 30 | 7 p.m. | SEC Network |
| Oklahoma | Lloyd Noble Center (Norman, OK) | Sun; Feb. 2 | 4 p.m. | SEC Network |
| Ole Miss | Sandy & John Black Pavilion (Oxford, MS) | Mon; Feb. 10 | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Texas | Historic Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, KY) | Thu; Feb. 13 | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Georgia | Historic Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, KY) | Sun; Feb. 16 | 2 p.m. | SEC Network+ |
| Missouri | Mizzou Arena (Columbia, MO) | Thu; Feb. 20 | 7:30 p.m. | SEC Network+ |
| LSU | Historic Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, KY) | Sun; Feb. 23 | 4 p.m. | ESPN |
| Tennessee | Historic Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, KY) | Thu; Feb. 27 | 7 p.m. | SEC Network |
| South Carolina | Colonial Life Arena (Columbia, SC) | Sun; Mar. 2 | 2 p.m. | ESPN |
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