Kentucky coach Mark Pope talks about his team ahead of new season
New Kentucky head coach Mark Pope is excited for the Wildcats to take the court this season.
LEXINGTON — A fixture of the Kentucky basketball calendar each year is the Blue-White game. The intrasquad scrimmage is the public’s final time to watch UK players take the floor before they face another team. The last two seasons, the Wildcats have taken the game on the road.
In 2022, the program traveled to Pikeville to help the area after flooding ravaged 13 counties in the eastern portion of the state earlier that year, leaving 43 dead; that game raised $162,450, which was donated to the Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief fund. Then last year, UK went to Highland Heights and played at Truist Arena, the home venue for Northern Kentucky University’s women’s and men’s basketball teams; it once again was for a cause, with funds from the game going to the Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund and the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund.
But the Blue-White game is no more.
Last month, UK Athletics announced the preseason scrimmage would be replaced — and would take on a new name, officially dubbed the “Blue-White Preseason Event” by organizers.
Here’s what to know about the new-look Blue-White event:
As noted above, one marked departure is that no intrasquad scrimmage will be held by the men’s basketball team, led by first-year coach Mark Pope.
Another change: The women’s basketball team, with a rookie coach of its own in Kenny Brooks, also will participate.
The event will be hosted by Club Blue, one of UK Athletics’ name, image and likeness partners.
In place of the intrasquad scrimmages of years past, Friday night’s Blue-White event will be “transformed into an interactive fan experience,” per UK. The men’s and women’s teams will hold practice sessions during the event. Clue Blue wrote on its website that during the event there will be in-game interviews with men’s and women’s players, plus commentary from Pope and Brooks.
The Kentucky Blue-White event will not be televised or streamed. The only way to catch Friday night’s festivities is to buy a ticket.
- Date: Friday, Oct. 18
- Start time: 6 p.m.
The Blue-White event starts at 6 p.m. at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington.
This will be the first time since 2006 that the men’s basketball team will have the Blue-White event at Memorial Coliseum.
Ticketmaster has tickets available for the Blue-White event (starting at $90, as of 3 p.m. Thursday). Per the Club Blue website, Friday night’s proceeds will “benefit Club Blue Men’s and Women’s Basketball NIL Efforts.”
- Oct. 18: Blue-White event (Memorial Coliseum), 6 p.m.
- Oct. 23: exhibition vs. Kentucky Wesleyan (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network+
- Oct. 29: exhibition vs. Minnesota State Mankato (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network+
- Nov. 4: vs. Wright State (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., ESPNU
- Nov. 9: vs. Bucknell (Rupp Arena), 4 p.m., SEC Network+
- Nov. 12: vs. Duke (Champions Classic; State Farm Arena, Atlanta), 9 p.m., ESPN
- Nov. 19: vs. Lipscomb, (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network+
- Nov. 22: vs. Jackson State (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network+
- Nov. 26: vs. Western Kentucky (Rupp Arena), 6:30 p.m., ESPNU
- Nov. 29: vs. Georgia State (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network
- Dec. 3: at Clemson (ACC/SEC Challenge), 9:30 p.m., ESPN
- Dec. 7: vs. Gonzaga (Climate Pledge Arena; Seattle), Time TBA
- Dec. 11: vs. Colgate (Rupp Arena), 8 p.m., ESPN2
- Dec. 14: vs. Louisville (Rupp Arena), 5:15 p.m., ESPN
- Dec. 21: vs. Ohio State (CBS Sports Classic; Madison Square Garden, New York), 5:30 p.m., CBS
- Dec. 31: vs. Brown (Rupp Arena), 2 p.m., ESPNU
- Jan. 4: vs. Florida (Rupp Arena), 11 a.m., ESPN
- Jan. 7: at Georgia, 7 p.m., SEC Network
- Jan. 11: at Mississippi State, 8:30 p.m., SEC Network
- Jan. 14: vs. Texas A&M (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU
- Jan. 18: vs. Alabama (Rupp Arena), noon, ESPN
- Jan. 25: at Vanderbilt, 2:30 p.m., ESPN/2
- Jan. 28: at Tennessee, 7 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 1: vs. Arkansas (Rupp Arena), 9 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 4: at Ole Miss, 7 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 8: vs. South Carolina (Rupp Arena), noon, ESPN/ESPN2
- Feb. 11: vs. Tennessee (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 15: at Texas, 8 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 19: vs. Vanderbilt (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network
- Feb. 22: at Alabama, 6 p.m., ESPN
- Feb. 26: at Oklahoma, 9 p.m., SEC Network
- March 1: vs. Auburn (Rupp Arena), 1/4 p.m., ABC/ESPN
- March 4: vs. LSU (Rupp Arena), 7/9 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU
- March 8: at Missouri, noon, ESPN/SEC Network
- Ansley Almonor (forward, senior)
- Koby Brea (guard, graduate)
- Lamont Butler (guard, graduate)
- Andrew Carr (forward, graduate)
- Collin Chandler (guard, freshman)
- Grant Darbyshire (guard, junior)
- Brandon Garrison (forward, sophomore)
- Walker Horn (guard, junior)
- Kerr Kriisa (guard, senior)
- Trent Noah (forward, freshman)
- Otega Oweh (guard, junior)
- Travis Perry (guard, freshman)
- Jaxson Robinson (guard, graduate)
- Zach Tow (forward, junior)
- Amari Williams (center, graduate)
The Kentucky women’s basketball team will open the season at home Nov. 4, hosting USC Upstate. The game is slated to tip off at 5 p.m.
Click here to see the Wildcats’ full 2024-25 schedule.
- Georgia Amoore (guard, graduate)
- Tanah Becker (guard, freshman)
- Lexi Blue (guard, freshman)
- Gabby Brooks (guard, sophomore)
- Amelia Hassett (forward, junior)
- Teonni Key (junior, forward)
- Dazia Lawrence (guard, fifth-year senior)
- Jordan Obi (guard, graduate)
- Dominika Paurová (guard, sophomore)
- Cassidy Rowe (guard, junior)
- Clara Silva (center, freshman)
- Clara Strack (center, sophomore)
- Saniah Tyler (guard, junior)
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Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
