Fun Facts About the Small School Opponents on the Kentucky Non-Conference Schedule

Kentucky basketball fans received an unexpected treat on Thursday morning when the Wildcats released the entire non-conference schedule for the 2024-25 season. The non-conference slate arrived about six weeks earlier than last year’s non-con schedule.

Big Blue Nation already knew about the marquee matchups on the schedule. Today we’re taking a closer look at the smaller schools that will be making the trip to Rupp Arena in Mark Pope’s first season at the helm of his alma mater.

Wright State

Date: Nov. 4
Record vs. Kentucky: 0-4
Last Meeting: 2015, 78-63 UK Win

Wright State, Wrong College! It’s a popular quip for folks in Ohio where the Raiders play second fiddle to the Flyers in the city of Dayton. Wright State was a contender for the Horizon League title last season, finishing two games behind Youngstown State for the top spot in the conference. The No. 4 seed ended the season by losing a thrilling overtime game 99-97 at home against Northern Kentucky.

Bucknell

Date: Nov. 9
Record vs. Kentucky: N/A

The Nate Sestina Bowl is the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Sestina capped off his four-year career with the Bison by averaging 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game before transferring to Kentucky for the 2019-20 campaign. He’ll be suiting up for La Familia in next week’s TBT.

Lipscomb

Date: Nov. 19
Record vs. Kentucky: 0-2
Last Meeting: 2012, 88-50 UK Win

We have not one, but TWO Bison on the schedule. These Bison from Nashville last competed in the NCAA Tournament in 2018. The ASUN program was once the home to one of the greatest caddies to ever grace the PGA Tour, Aaron Flener.

Jackson State

Date: Nov. 22
Record vs. Kentucky: N/A

This is the fourth straight year Kentucky has hosted an HBCU as a part of the Unity Series. The Wildcats won the previous three games by an average of 26 points.

Jackson State made a splash when they hired Deion Sanders to coach their football program and made a similar splash ahead of the 2023-24 season when they brought in former NBA All-Star Mo Williams to lead the men’s basketball program. The former Alabama point guard was a McDonald’s All-American and SEC Freshman of the Year in 2002. During that season Williams scored 13 points to propel the Crimson Tide to an upset over the Top 10 Cats at Rupp Arena. He won an NBA title with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.

Western Kentucky

Date: Nov. 26
Record vs. Kentucky: 2-5
Last Meeting: 2021, 95-60 UK Win

The last time we saw the Tops in Lexington, Oscar Tshiebwe set the Rupp Arena rebounding record. Things will look significantly different in November.

Steve Lutz won a C-USA Tournament Championship last season, taking the Tops to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. He was one-and-done, bolting for Oklahoma State in April. WKU promoted assistant Hank Plona to fill the position. He’ll have Kristian Lander running point this season, the former Top 100 recruit from Evansville who transferred in from Indiana.

Georgia State

Date: Nov. 29
Record vs. Kentucky: 0-2
Last Meeting: 2005, Shagari Alleyne had 16 points in a 73-46 UK Win

Before Rob Lanier and Ron Hunter took the Panthers to three NCAA Tournaments in a five-year span, Ryan Harrow was getting buckets in Atlanta. The point guard never found his footing in Lexington during the ill-fated 2013 season, transferring closer to home for his final two seasons of college basketball where he averaged 18 points per game.

Colgate

Date: Dec. 11
Record vs. Kentucky: N/A

The Raiders are an ideal small school non-conference opponent. They dominate the Patriot League, winners of the last five regular season titles and four conference tournament titles in that span. The NCAA Tournament regulars are often popular upset picks but have failed to win a game in seven appearances since 1995. Head coach Matt Langel was a candidate for a few positions on the coaching carousel but is returning for his 14th season.

Brown

Date: Dec. 31
Record vs. Kentucky: N/A

The Brown Bears were this close to an improbable run to the NCAA Tournament in 2024. At one point last season they were 6-17. They rattled off seven straight wins to earn the final spot in the Ivy League Tournament. After upsetting Princeton in the opening round, Brown led by six points with 25 seconds left on the clock when chaos ensued. Missed free throws left the door open for Yale to sink a buzzer-beating layup, dashing Brown’s hopes to appear in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1986.