Kentucky to play UNC Wilmington during '23-24 non-conference

The Kentucky Wildcats have played North Carolina, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Charlotte and UNC-Greensboro, but never UNC Wilmington. That’s set to change this winter, as the Seahawks are set to make their way to Lexington for their first-ever battle inside of Rupp Arena.

According to college basketball analyst and bracketologist Rocco Miller, Kentucky will host UNC Wilmington on Saturday, December 2 as part of the program’s non-conference schedule.

Kentucky will host UNC Wilmington as part of its 23-24 non-conference schedule, per multiple sources.

The date is set for Saturday, December 2nd inside Rupp Arena. #SEC #CAAHoops

— Rocco Miller (@RoccoMiller8) July 25, 2023

The connection? It’s where it all started for John Calipari as a player, with the Hall of Fame coach suiting up for the Seahawks from 1978-80. He played in 25 games across two seasons with the program before transferring to Clarion to close out his career. The former point guard scored 21 points with seven rebounds and 22 assists during his time there, including a career-high effort of nine points at Campbell on Jan. 8, 1979.

UNC Wilmington traditionally has good guards https://t.co/XfyC9gO6dk pic.twitter.com/HwvuVGOdLr

— Drew Franklin (@DrewFranklinKSR) July 25, 2023

As for the school today, the Seahawks finished the 2022-23 season with a 24-10 overall record and 12-6 in conference play inside the Colonial Athletic Association, losing in the league tournament finals to No. 2 seed Charleston for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. UNCW earned wins over Drexel, Stony Brook, Monmouth, Coastal Carolina, East Carolina, High Point and Vermont, among others, while capturing the championship of the Baha Mar Nassau Championship.

Led by head coach Takayo Siddle, the Seahawks lost in three high-major matchups during the season: at No. 1 North Carolina (69-56), at Oklahoma (74-53) and at No. 25 Connecticut (86-50). The fourth-year head coach agreed to a five-year contract extension that will keep him in the Port City through the 2027-28 season. He has led the program to a 58-29 overall record over the last three seasons, including a 33-16 record in CAA games and two championship appearances in the conference tournament.

UNCW returns leading scorer Trazarien White, who earned Second-Team All-CAA accolades after averages of 14.2 points and 5.9 rebounds as a sophomore. Starters Maleeck Harden-Hayes (9.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG) and Shykeim Phillips (8.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG) are also back, while the Seahawks added standout transfers KJ Jenkins (New Mexico), Shemar Rathan-Mayes (Youngstown State) and Ahmard Harvey (High Point) this offseason.

How will the program fair against the Wildcats this upcoming season? We’ll find out on Dec. 2.

Non-conference schedule

Kentucky will take on Kansas in the Champions Classic scheduled for Nov. 14 at the United Center in Chicago. From there, the Wildcats will take on Miami (FL) inside Rupp Arena for the ACC/SEC Challenge on Nov. 28, then either North Carolina, Ohio State or UCLA on Dec. 16 in the CBS Sports Classic, likely in Atlanta.

The Wildcats will also take on the Louisville Cardinals at the Yum Center in December and Gonzaga inside Rupp Arena at some point, though final dates have not yet been announced for either matchup.

The complete schedule is expected in the coming months. Until then, we’ll have to piece things together with unofficial reports.

Bring on the Seahawks.