Kentucky targets headline annual King of the Bluegrass tournament
The King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic is one of the state’s biggest pre-Sweet 16 tournaments of the entire high school basketball season. The annual event takes place right before Christmas and typically features the state’s top teams and individual talent. 2023 will be no different.
Beginning on Tuesday and running through Saturday at Fairdale High School right outside of Louisville, 16 teams will battle it out for the ultimate crown. 11 of those teams will enter the bracket among KSR’s updated Top 25 statewide rankings. Within those teams are three prospects being targeted by the Kentucky Wildcats. There will also be two out-of-state teams in this year’s field: Little Rock Central (AR) and Chicago De La Salle (IL).
First-round action is set for Tuesday and Wednesday. A trio of Kentucky targets will take the stage: Great Crossing center Malachi Moreno (2025), Newport point guard Tay Kinney (2026), and Washington County small forward Gabe Weis (2026). Moreno has already received an offer from UK while Kinney and Weis continue to hear more and more from the Wildcats.
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Kinney and Weis will actually go head-to-head when No. 8 Newport and No. 12 Washington County meet on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. EST. Moreno and No. 1-ranked Great Crossing will face undefeated No. 19 North Oldham on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. EST. Three other ranked matchups will be scattered throughout the opening round of games, as well.
Check out the schedule for Tuesday and Wednesday’s games below, along with a full bracket for the entire week. Tickets cost $12 and can be purchased at the door or through GoFan.
| Tuesday, December 19th | ||
| Game 1 | 4:30 pm | No. 11 Male vs. Spencer County |
| Game 2 | 6:00 pm | Fairdale vs. Taylor County |
| Game 3 | 7:30 pm | No. 1 Great Crossing vs. No. 19 North Oldham |
| Game 4 | 9:00 pm | No. 6 Frederick Douglass vs. No. 15 DeSales |
Wednesday, December 20th | ||
| Game 5 | 4:30 pm | Little Rock Central (AR) vs. Chicago De La Salle (IL) |
| Game 6 | 6:00 pm | No. 8 Newport vs. No. 12 Washington County |
| Game 7 | 7:30 pm | No. 21 Bowling Green vs. No. 7 Harlan County |
| Game 8 | 9:00 pm | No. 10 Trinity vs. No. 25 Butler County |
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