Kentucky Basketball announces 2024-25 Non-Conference Schedule

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Rupp Arena before a Kentucky Basketball game - Dr. Michael Huang | Kentucky Sports Radio

Pull up your calendar because we’ve finally got some games to put on it. Kentucky Basketball just released the 2024-25 non-conference schedule, which consists of 13 games. Nine of those are at home in Rupp Arena, three are at neutral sites, and one is a true road game, the SEC/ACC Challenge at Clemson.

We knew the big games, but some of the early games at Rupp are new. Following a pair of to-be-determined exhibitions, Kentucky will tip things off for real on Nov. 4 vs. Wright State at Rupp Arena, followed by a game vs. Bucknell (Nate Sestina’s alma mater) on Nov. 9. On Nov. 12, they’ll play Duke in the Champions Classic in Atlanta.

Once the Cats arrive home (with a victory over the Blue Devils), they’ll host the BBN Invitational, a multi-team event that includes Lipscomb (Nov. 19), Jackson State (Nov. 22), and Western Kentucky (Nov. 26). The game vs. Jackson State will be the fourth installment of the Unity Series, which aims to raise awareness of the missions of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and to raise funds to provide opportunities for students at their institutions.

Kentucky will close the month of November with a game vs. Georgia State at Rupp on Nov. 29. On Dec. 3, the Cats will travel to Clemson for the SEC/ACC Challenge, and four days later, head to Seattle to play Gonzaga. Kentucky will return to Rupp Arena on Dec. 11 to host Colgate and three days later, Pat Kelsey and the Louisville Cardinals come to town. On Dec. 21, the Cats head to New York City to play Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden, and ten days later, on Dec. 31, they’ll host Brown to close the year out.

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Kentucky’s SEC opponents for the 2024-25 season have been revealed but we’re still waiting on game times and TV information. The Cats will play all 15 teams in the conference with home-and-homes vs. Alabama, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt.

Kentucky Basketball 2024-25 Schedule

Nov. 4: Wright State
Nov. 9: Bucknell
Nov. 12: Duke (Champions Classic, Atlanta)
Nov. 19: Lipscomb (BBN Invitational)
Nov. 22: Jackson State (BBN Invitational, Unity Series)
Nov. 26: Western Kentucky (BBN Invitational)
Nov. 29: Georgia State
Dec. 3: at Clemson (SEC/ACC Challenge)
Dec. 7: Gonzaga (Battle for Seattle)
Dec. 11: Colgate
Dec. 14: Louisville
Dec. 21: Ohio State (CBS Sports Classic, New York)
Dec. 31: Brown
TBD: Alabama
TBD: Arkansas
TBD: Auburn
TBD: Florida
TBD: LSU
TBD: South Carolina
TBD: Tennessee
TBD: Texas A&M
TBD: Vanderbilt
TBD: at Alabama
TBD: at Georgia
TBD: at Ole Miss
TBD: at Mississippi State
TBD: at Missouri
TBD: at Oklahoma
TBD: at Tennessee
TBD: at Texas
TBD: at Vanderbilt

Here’s a look at each opponent, their results last season, and their history vs. Kentucky. Four teams are facing Kentucky for the first time: Brown, Bucknell, Colgate, and Jackson State.

Opponent	2023-24 Record	Postseason	Final NET Ranking	Final Ranking (AP/Coaches)	KenPom.com Final Ranking	Series History	Last Meeting
Alabama	25-12	NCAA Final Four	9	3/4	14	UK, 117-41	UK won 117-95 on Feb. 24, 2024
Arkansas	16-17	—	115	-/-	108	UK, 36-14	UK won 111-102 on March 2, 2024
Auburn	27-8	NCAA First Round	5	18/17	4	UK, 98-23	UK won 70-59 on Feb. 17, 2024
Brown	13-18	—	177	-/-	191	N/A	First Meeting
Bucknell	14-19	—	277	-/-	276	N/A	First Meeting
Clemson	24-12	NCAA Elite Eight	35	14/15	19	UK, 12-4	UK won 76-61 on Nov. 29, 1997
Colgate	25-10	NCAA First Round	125	-/-	150	N/A	First Meeting
Duke	27-9	NCAA Elite Eight	10	9/9	7	UK, 12-11	Duke won 79-71 on Nov. 9, 2021
Florida	24-12	NCAA First Round	29	RV/RV	26	UK, 110-42	UF won 94-91^OT on Jan. 31, 2024
Georgia	20-17	NIT Semifinals	100	-/-	84	UK, 132-28	UK won 105-96 on Jan. 20, 2024
Georgia State	14-17	—	222	-/-	218	UK, 2-0	UK won 73-46 on Dec. 6, 2005
Gonzaga	27-8	NCAA Sweet 16	17	15/16	12	GU, 2-1	GU won 89-85 on Feb. 10, 2024
Jackson State	15-17	—	300	-/-	309	N/A	First Meeting
Lipscomb	20-12	—	166	-/-	166	UK, 2-0	UK won 88-50 on Dec. 15, 2012
Louisville	8-24	—	216	-/-	185	UK, 39-17	UK won 95-76 on Dec. 21, 2023
LSU	17-16	NIT First Round	94	-/-	95	UK, 93-29	LSU won 75-74 on Feb. 21, 2024
Mississippi State	21-14	NCAA First Round	31	-/-	34	UK, 103-21	UK won 91-89 on Feb. 27, 2024
Missouri	8-24	—	158	-/-	145	UK, 15-3	UK won 90-77 on Jan. 9, 2024
Ohio State	22-14	NIT Quarterfinals	49	-/-	49	UK, 11-10	OSU won 71-65 on Dec. 21, 2019
Oklahoma	20-12	—	46	-/-	46	UK, 3-0	UK won 76-64 on Nov. 22, 2010
Ole Miss	20-12	—	90	-/-	86	UK, 111-14	UK won 75-63 on Feb. 13, 2024
South Carolina	26-8	NCAA First Round	51	25/23	54	UK, 54-15	USC won 79-62 on Jan. 23, 2024
Tennessee	27-9	NCAA Elite Eight	7	5/5	5	UK, 161-77	UK won 85-81 on March 9, 2024
Texas	21-13	NCAA Second Round	30	RV/RV	25	UK, 2-0	UK won 63-51 on Dec. 5, 2014
Texas A&M	21-15	NCAA Second Round	45	RV/RV	35	UK, 13-6	TAMU won 97-87 on March 15, 2024
Vanderbilt	9-23	—	202	-/-	183	UK, 157-49	UK won 93-77 on March 6, 2024
WKU	22-12	NCAA First Round	136	-/-	135	UK, 5-2	UK won 95-60 on Dec. 22, 2021
Wright State	18-14	—	153	-/-	158	UK, 4-0	UK won 78-62 on Nov. 20, 2015