Kentucky basketball: Mark Pope during UK Alumni luncheon in Louisville
Kentucky Wildcats college basketball coach Mark Pope spoke during the Greater Louisville UK Alumni Club luncheon at Churchill Downs’ First Turn Club.
LEXINGTON — A little more than six months after his hire as Kentucky basketball‘s coach, Mark Pope will lead his team onto the court for the first time against another team.
It just won’t count in the standings, win or lose.
UK has its first of two preseason exhibitions ahead of the 2024-25 campaign tonight, hosting in-state school Kentucky Wesleyan at Rupp Arena. The Panthers are the most successful team in Division II; their eight national championships (1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1987, 1990, 1999 and 2001) are the most among Division II men’s basketball programs.
Pope isn’t the only new presence around the Wildcats‘ program.
Aside from former coach John Calipari leaving for Arkansas, all 12 scholarship players from last season’s roster departed. In their place, Pope added nine players from the transfer portal and three signees entering their freshman seasons in Collin Chandler, Trent Noah and Travis Perry.
How will Kentucky’s dozen newcomers fare in their first test against outside competition?
Follow along below with live updates from Rupp Arena:
The exhibition between the Wildcats and the Panthers will not air on a traditional TV channel.
Instead, it will stream live on SEC Network+. Darren Headrick (play-by-play) and Cameron Mills (analyst) will have the call.
Authenticated subscribers to SEC Network+ can watch the exhibition contest on WatchESPN.com, the WatchESPN app or ESPN+.
Tom Leach (play-by-play) and Jack Givens (analyst) will have the UK radio network call on 840 AM in Louisville and both 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington.
You can also listen online via UKAthletics.com.
- 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)
Kentucky Wesleyan went 21-9 overall last season, posting a 15-5 mark in conference play to win the GMAC’s regular-season title. The program made national headlines last year when it upended Louisville, 71-68, in an exhibition at the KFC Yum! Center.
Click here to see the Panthers’ full 2024-25 schedule.
Want to learn Panthers’ roster?
Click here for player bios and more.
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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.
