Kentucky’s SEC home and away opponents announced for 2017-18
The University of Kentucky men’s basketball team received its Southeastern Conference home and road assignments for the 2017-18 season on Thursday.
The Wildcats will host Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt in Rupp Arena.
Kentucky’s nine SEC road games will be at Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.
Times, dates and television information will be announced at a later date.
Operating by the new league scheduling model adopted in 2015, Kentucky’s permanent home-and-away opponents are Florida, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. UK’s two rotating home-and-away foes this season are Missouri and Texas A&M. Kentucky meets every other league team only one time each, to form an 18-game slate.
Kentucky has claimed at least a share of the last three SEC regular-season titles and five overall under the direction of ninth-year head coach John Calipari. The Cats have also won the SEC Tournament five times in the last eight years, including each of the past three years.
The SEC is coming off a 2016-17 season in which its teams combined to go 11-5 in the NCAA Tournament and had three teams advance to the Elite Eight (Kentucky, South Carolina and Florida).
Calipari, speaking at the SEC’s annual meetings for coaches and athletics directors in Destin, Fla., on Wednesday, said now is the league’s time to shine.
“It’s our turn,” the UK coach told media in Destin. “Let us reap the benefits of this. It should be fun. I’m anxious to see the league building where there’s some excitement on just about every campus now.”
Kentucky’s non-conference schedule is also continuing to take shape, with announcements last week that Kentucky would host Virginia Tech and visit West Virginia this coming season.
UK has also announced non-conference games against Kansas, Harvard, Monmouth and UCLA.
UK’s 2017-18 SEC opponents
Home games: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt
Road games: Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt
UK’s 2017-18 non-conference schedule
Dates announced so far for the 2017-18 season:
Nov. 14: Kansas (Champions Classic), Chicago, United Center
Dec. 2: Harvard, Rupp Arena
Dec. 9: Monmouth (Citi Double Cash Classic), New York, Madison Square Garden
Dec. 16: Virginia Tech, Rupp Arena
Dec. 23: UCLA (CBS Sports Classic), New Orleans, Smoothie King Center
Jan. 27: West Virginia (Big 12/SEC Challenge), Morgantown, W.Va., WVU Coliseum
This story was originally published June 1, 2017 at 11:23 AM with the headline "Kentucky’s SEC home and away opponents announced for 2017-18."