Kentucky's open practice set for Thursday afternoon in Milwaukee

Coming to Milwaukee to cheer Kentucky on in the NCAA Tournament? If you get there on Thursday, you can watch the Cats practice.

Each team in the Milwaukee pod will hold an open practice at Fiserv Forum on Thursday afternoon. Kentucky’s will take place from 2:45 to 3:25 p.m. CDT. Troy will take the court before the Cats at 2:00 p.m., so you can get there a little early to do some scouting. Admission is free; all you need to do is show up.

Milwaukee NCAA Tournament Open Practices (Thursday, all times CDT)

• 11:00 – 11:40 a.m.: Lipscomb
• 11:45 – 12:25 p.m.: Iowa State
• 12:30 – 1:10 p.m.: North Carolina/San Diego St.
• 1:15 – 1:55 p.m.: Ole Miss
• 2:00 – 2:40 p.m.: Troy
• 2:45 – 3:25 p.m.: Kentucky
• 3:30 – 4:10 p.m.: Illinois
• 4:15 – 4:55 p.m.: Xavier/Texas

In the past, Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament open practices have been glorified stretching sessions and shootarounds, but it will be interesting to see if that’s the case under Mark Pope. Pope doesn’t seem like one to waste an opportunity, so I’m looking forward to seeing what his practices are like, even in a public setting. I’m sure the players will make the rounds to greet fans afterward, as is tradition at home games. Jack Pilgrim, Drew Franklin, Steven Peake, and I will be courtside to tell you all about it afterward.

If you’re not making the trip to Milwaukee, you can still get a hoops fix tomorrow at Rupp Arena. Open practices for Thursday’s first-round games tip off at 11 a.m. on Wednesday. Creighton is up first, followed by Louisville. Auburn, the No. 1 overall seed, takes the court at Rupp at 1:15 p.m. No. 2 seed Tennessee is up at 2:45 p.m. Brace yourself for all that orange, because it’s coming.

Lexington NCAA Tournament Open Practices (Wednesday, all times EDT)

• 11:00-11:40 a.m.: Creighton
• 11:45 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Louisville
• 12:30-1:10 p.m.: Wofford
• 1:15-1:55 p.m.: Auburn
• 2:00-2:40 p.m.: Alabama St./St. Francis
• 2:45-3:25 p.m.: Tennessee
• 3:30-4:10 p.m.: Utah State
• 4:15-4:55 p.m.: UCLA

UK Alumni Association Pregame Party in Milwaukee

Kentucky vs. Troy doesn’t tip off until 6:10 p.m. CT/7:10 p.m. ET on Friday night, giving fans making the trip plenty of time to pregame. The UK Alumni Association is holding a pregame party from 3-5 p.m. CDT on Friday at On Tap (1203 N 10th St.), which is a few blocks from the Fiserv Forum.

The event is free and open to the public. UK swag will be available while supplies last with food and drinks available for purchase. If the Cats advance to the second round, On Tap will once again serve as the UK Alumni Association’s pregame headquarters, opening three hours before Kentucky’s scheduled session.

The KSR Pregame Show will also take place at a to-be-determined location in Milwaukee starting 2.5 hours before tipoff. We’ll share more info once we know it, or you can follow @KSRTHESHOW on Twitter/X for updates.