Men’s Basketball Announces 2025-26 Finalized Schedule

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.  – The entirety of the 2025-26 Kentucky men’s basketball schedule has been finalized with the Southeastern Conference’s announcement of dates, tip times and television designations for all league schedules.

The Wildcats are slated to play 21 regular-season games against NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago. UK will play seven of last year’s Sweet 16 squads and five Elite Eight teams, including two matchups against the defending National Champion Florida Gators.

The complete schedule is below. All times listed are Eastern:

Date 
Opponent/Event
Location
TV Network
Tip Time

Oct. 11
Big Blue Madness
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
SECN+
6 p.m.

Oct. 17
Blue-White
Historic Memorial Coliseum
SECN+
7 p.m.

Oct. 24
Purdue (exhibition)
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
SEC Network
6 p.m.

Oct. 30
Georgetown (exhibition)
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
SECN+
7 p.m.

Nov. 4
Nicholls (BBN United Tipoff Classic)
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
SECN+
7 p.m.

Nov. 7
Valparaiso (BBN United Tipoff Classic)
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
SECN+
7 p.m.

Nov. 11
at Louisville
KFC Yum! Center (Louisville, Ky.)
ESPN
8 p.m.

Nov. 14
Eastern Illinois (BBN United Tipoff Classic)
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
SECN+
7 p.m.

Nov. 18
vs. Michigan State (Champions Classic)
Madison Square Garden (New York)
ESPN
6:30 p.m.

Nov. 21
Loyola (Md.)
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
SECN+
7 p.m.

Nov. 26
Tennessee Tech
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
SEC Network
7 p.m.

Dec. 2
North Carolina (ACC/SEC Challenge)
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
ESPN
9:30 p.m.

Dec. 5
vs. Gonzaga
Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, Tenn.)
ESPN2
7 p.m.

Dec. 9
North Carolina Central
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
SEC Network
7 p.m.

Dec. 13
Indiana
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
ESPN
7:30 p.m.

Dec. 20
vs. St. John’s (CBS Sports Classic)
State Farm Arena (Atlanta)
CBS
12:30 p.m.

Dec. 23
Bellarmine
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
SECN+
1 p.m.

Jan. 3
at Alabama (SEC)
Coleman Coliseum (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
ESPN
1 p.m.

Jan. 7
Missouri (SEC)
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
ESPN2
7 p.m.

Jan. 10
Mississippi State (SEC)
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
SEC Network
8:30 p.m.

Jan. 14
at LSU (SEC)
Pete Maravich Assembly Center (Baton Rouge, La.)
SEC Network
7 p.m.

Jan. 17
at Tennessee (SEC)
Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center (Knoxville, Tenn.)
ESPN
Noon

Jan. 21
Texas (SEC)
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
SEC Network
7 p.m.

Jan. 24
Ole Miss (SEC)
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
ESPN/ESPN2
Noon

Jan. 27
at Vanderbilt (SEC)
Memorial Gymnasium (Nashville, Tenn.)
ESPN
9 p.m.

Jan. 31
at Arkansas (SEC)
Bud Walton Arena (Fayetteville, Ark.)
ESPN
6:30 p.m.

Feb. 4
Oklahoma (SEC)
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
ESPN2
7 p.m.

Feb. 7
Tennessee (SEC)
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
ESPN
8:30 p.m.

Feb. 14
at Florida (SEC)
Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O’Connell Center (Gainesville, Fla.)
ABC
3 p.m.

Feb. 17
Georgia (SEC)
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU
9 p.m.

Feb. 21
at Auburn (SEC)
Neville Arena (Auburn, Ala.)
ESPN/ESPN2
8:30 p.m.

Feb. 24
at South Carolina (SEC)
Colonial Life Arena (Columbia, S.C.)
SEC Network
7 p.m.

Feb. 28
Vanderbilt (SEC)
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
ESPN/ESPN2
2 p.m.

March 3
at Texas A&M (SEC)
Reed Arena (Bryan-College Station, Texas)
ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU
7 p.m.

March 7
Florida (SEC)
Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center
ESPN/ESPN2
4 p.m.

Details on regular-season home games for men’s basketball will be announced soon, including the launch of Kentucky’s official resale marketplace powered by Ticketmaster. This platform will offer fans a secure way to buy and sell verified tickets, even for games that may be sold out.

Season ticket holders are reminded that exhibition games vs. Purdue and Georgetown are included in their season ticket packages.

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope and the Wildcats are coming off the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance since 2019 and return Collin Chandler, Brandon Garrison, Trent Noah and Otega Oweh who all contributed to a 24-12 season which featured wins over an NCAA-record-tying eight Associated Press Top 15 foes.

Adding to UK’s firepower in 2025-26 is one of the highest-ranked transfer classes in the country. The Cats will add 2025 National Champion Denzel Aberdeen from Florida; a two-time NCAA Sweet 16 participant in Alabama’s Mouhamed Dioubate; an All-Atlantic Coast Conference performer in Pitt’s Jaland Lowe; Reece Potter from Miami of Ohio who is a Lexington native; National Defensive Player of the Year late-season finalist Jayden Quaintance from Arizona State; and Kam Williams from Tulane who earned American Athletic Conference All-Freshman Team honors.

The Cats also have four collegiate newcomers in Braydon Hawthorne, Andrija Jelavić, Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno.

For the latest on the Kentucky men’s basketball team, follow @KentuckyMBB on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and on the web at UKathletics.com.