Kentucky vs. Louisville Basketball Tip-Off Time Announced

We now know exactly when John Calipari will host his former pupil, Kenny Payne, at Rupp Arena. Friday morning the University of Kentucky announced when the Wildcats will play the Louisville Cardinals on New Year’s Eve. The Dec. 31 game will tip-off at Noon EST on CBS.

Some people say Kenny Payne won those games. The new head coach has a lot of ground to cover for his Louisville predecessors. John Calipari is 11-3 against the Cards as the head coach at Kentucky. However, Louisville won the last meeting, a 62-59 win in a mostly empty Yum! Center during the pandemic plagued 2020 season. The Cardinals probably consider themselves lucky after last year’s game was cancelled due to COVID-19. Chris Mack was fired a month after the game was postponed.

Even though school has started with students back on campus for the fall semester, we still do not know the schedule for the upcoming Kentucky basketball season. Yale was a recent addition to UK’s non-conference schedule, one that does feature a few high-profile matchups.

Also of note, the game will be played on New Year’s Eve at Noon, the same time as this year’s Sugar Bowl. The annual game between the SEC and the Big 12 was moved a day early because of the NFL schedule. If high expectations are met, Kentucky fans may be forced to choose between the two sports.

Current Kentucky Basketball Non-Conference Schedule

• Yale, TBD
• Duquesne, TBD
• Michigan State, Indianapolis, Nov. 15
• North Florida, Nov. 18
• at Gonzaga, Nov. 20
• Bellarmine, Nov. 29
• Michigan, London, Dec. 4
• UCLA, New York, Dec. 17
• Louisville, Dec. 31
• Kansas, Jan. 28