It’s only May, but in today’s fast-paced world, especially when it comes to sports, no one wants to wait around for info. The Kentucky men’s basketball schedule for 2025–26 is starting to take shape, and even though we’re still about six months away from tip-off, here’s what we know so far:
2025–26 Kentucky Basketball Schedule (as of 5/16/25):
- Exhibition: vs. Purdue (Home) – October 24
- @ Louisville – November 11
- vs. Michigan State (Neutral – Champions Classic) – November 18
- vs. Gonzaga (Neutral – Nashville) – December 5
- vs. Indiana (Home) – December 13
- vs. St. John’s (Neutral – CBS Sports Classic) – December 20
- vs. Bellarmine (Home) – December 23
- SEC/ACC Challenge: Opponent TBD
- vs. NC Central (Home): Date TBD
- 9 SEC home games
- 9 SEC road games
Notes & Context:
- That Kentucky–Louisville matchup is happening early—the earliest it’s ever been, actually. Only twice before have these rivals played in November. Why the early date? Modern scheduling is increasingly chaotic.
- Yep, you read that right: an exhibition against Purdue—the Purdue, not some tiny off-brand version. Thanks to new NCAA rules, teams can now play real D-1 opponents in exhibitions. That one’s worth watching.
- The Gonzaga game lands in Nashville this time—not as far-flung as last year’s clash in Seattle. It’s a neutral site but with a Kentucky-friendly location.
- Big twist in the CBS Sports Classic this year: UCLA is out, St. John’s is in. With both UCLA and Ohio State in the Big Ten now, maybe it was time to shake things up anyway.
- The Indiana game returns to Rupp on December 13! It’s been 13 years since the two teams faced off regularly. If this series were a movie paused in 2012, you’d probably expect your remote to have dust on it.
- Coach Mark Pope also mentioned he’s trying to schedule another high-profile exhibition game. Any guesses—or wishes—on who the opponent might be?
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