Kentucky MBB schedules preseason matchup in Rupp Arena against Big Ten team

ZGeogheganKSR

Mark Pope (left) and Matt Painter - Imagn Images

Kentucky men’s basketball will host a potential title contender this fall.

On Friday morning, UK announced that the Wildcats will take on the Purdue Boilermakers on Friday, Oct. 24 in a preseason exhibition to help kick off the 2025-26 season. A game time and television designation will be announced at a later date, but the game will be played at Rupp Arena.

According to UK, “Newly adopted NCAA rules permitting Division I programs to play in the preseason enabled the teams to add this early-season marquee contest to their schedules. The game will not count towards official records or statistics.”

Schedule update: We will be facing off against Purdue for a preseason exhibition game on Oct. 24 in @Rupp_Arena.

📰🔗 – https://t.co/00sYSzTruJ pic.twitter.com/Ff4AKVX7J7
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) May 2, 2025

Kentucky and Purdue have not played since Dec. 1997, according to BigBlueHistory.net, when the No. 7 Wildcats beat the No. 6 Boilermakers 89-75 in Chicago. These two programs have faced each other just eight times throughout history, with Kentucky winning six of those. Purdue’s last win was 66-56 all the way back in Dec. 1984.

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It’s still very early in the offseason, but Purdue is projected to be among the nation’s best teams in 2025-26. ESPN recently slotted Matt Painter‘s group No. 1 overall in its Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings. Kentucky checked in at No. 10. Purdue returns Braden Smith, arguably the best guard in college hoops, and will have plenty of talent surrounding him.

If you’re looking for a preseason tune-up opportunity, you won’t find a better one than this.

Kentucky’s 2025-26 non-conference schedule (as we know it)

Kentucky’s non-conference schedule is shaping up to be a tough one. On a recent episode of KSR, Drew Franklin also teased a game vs. Texas Rio Grande Valley, so the Vaqueros may be coming to Rupp as well.

Oct. 24: vs. Purdue | Rupp Arena (Exhibition)
Nov. 18: vs. Michigan State | Champions Classic (New York)
Dec. 5: vs. Gonzaga | Nashville
Dec. 13: vs. Indiana | Rupp Arena
Dec. 20: vs. St. John’s | CBS Sports Classic (Atlanta)
Dec. 23: vs. Bellarmine | Rupp Arena
TBD: vs. Louisville | Louisville
TBD: SEC/ACC Challenge (TBD)
TBD: vs. NC Central | Rupp Arena