Kentucky's non-conference schedule will be among toughest in the country

The Southeastern Conference isn’t expected to have 14 teams make the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, but the league will still feature plenty of talented teams and players in 2025-26. That’s good news for Kentucky, because this season’s non-conference slate is shaping up to be a non-stop series of ranked opponents.

Below is Kentucky’s 2025-26 non-conference schedule as we know it. There’s also a non-zero chance the Wildcats’ opponent in the SEC/ACC Challenge ends up being Duke or North Carolina — the schedule might get even more difficult than it already is. More teams will be added, although we can assume a few of them will be against lower-tier schools.

• 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

St. John’s (No. 3), Louisville (No. 5), Michigan State (No. 20), and Gonzaga (No. 23) are all among ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25 preseason rankings, which were released last week. Purdue is ranked No. 1 by ESPN and features a Preseason Player of the Year candidate in Braden Smith, but since that matchup serves as an exhibition, it won’t count in the official record books. If Duke or North Carolina ends up being the pick for the SEC/ACC Challenge, we can add the No. 11 Blue Devils or No. 22 Tar Heels to the schedule. Indiana didn’t crack ESPN’s Top 25, but the Hoosiers expect to be competitive and more talented this season under new head coach Darian DeVries.

So to sum it up, Kentucky could take on at least four Top 25 opponents in the non-conference, with the chance for it to be five or six depending on the SEC/ACC Challenge matchup and where Indiana ends up in the rankings by mid-December. And oh yeah, the SEC schedule is still going to be tough.

Sticking with ESPN’s rankings, the SEC will feature No. 9 Arkansas, No. 15 Auburn, No. 16 Tennessee, No. 19 Florida, No. 21 Alabama, and No. 25 Texas. That’s six more ranked foes on the docket. Head coach Mark Pope has talked about wanting all the smoke, and he’s certainly putting his money where his mouth is with what could end up being the toughest start-to-finish schedule in the entire country.

The Wildcats will be battle-tested in 2025-26.