Kentucky will take on Western Kentucky to raise money for tornado relief

Kentucky has found an opponent to replace Louisville after the Cardinals were forced to postpone this week’s rivalry game due to COVID-19. Instead, UK will take on the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers this week, with the game scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The game will raise money for tornado relief funds throughout the state.

John Calipari announced Kentucky’s new opponent during his call-in radio show Monday evening.

“The best team for us to play in this situation is Western Kentucky,” he said.

Kentucky has played Western Kentucky just six times in the schools’ respective histories, with the Wildcats leading the series four wins to two. UK’s victories came in 1986 (71-64), 1990 (84-70), 1992 (93-83) and 2012 (81-66), with the losses coming in 1971 (107-83) and 2001 (64-52).

Western Kentucky comes in with an 8-4 overall record, with wins coming against the likes of Eastern Kentucky, Ole Miss and Louisville. The Hilltoppers’ losses came against Minnesota, South Carolina, Memphis and Buffalo.

Jairus Hamilton leads the Toppers with 16.5 points per game, with Dayvion McKnight (14.1 PPG), Camron Justice (13.2 PPG) and Josh Anderson (11.0 PPG) rounding out double-digit scorers. As a team, WKU averages 78.6 points per game while shooting 48.2% from the field and 33.3% from three.

Kentucky’s game vs. Louisville was postponed due to positive COVID-19 results within the UofL program, with UK Athletics working throughout the day to find a replacement game for either Wednesday or Thursday in Rupp Arena. Officials from Kentucky and Louisville will monitor opportunities in which the teams can reschedule the annual rivalry game.

The Kentucky-Louisville game has been played every year since the 1982-83 season, with the Wildcats leading the overall series 37-17.

UK ticket holders will receive communication via email regarding potential changes to Kentucky’s schedule throughout the season. If games are canceled and not rescheduled, UK Athletics will evaluate credit and refund options for the ticket portion of payment at the conclusion of the season. Single-game buyers who purchased tickets through Ticketmaster will receive a separate communication.