Kentucky to face UCLA, Kansas, Michigan on neutral courts next season.
Kentucky will play UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic next season, UK announced Monday. A site for the game on Dec. 19 has not yet been announced.
Of course, the UK-UCLA game will match the two programs with the most NCAA Tournament championships. Kentucky has won eight national championships. UCLA has won 11.
Although UCLA has won four of the six most recent games, Kentucky leads the series 8-7.
It will be the seventh time Kentucky has played in the CBS Sports Classic. In future editions of the event, UK is scheduled to play North Carolina on Dec. 18, 2021, and Ohio State on Dec. 17, 2022.
It was announced earlier this spring that Kentucky would play Kansas, Georgia Tech and Michigan in neutral-site games during the 2020-21 season.
Kentucky will play Kansas in the Champions Classic for a fourth time. The game will be in the United Center in Chicago on Nov. 10.
UK beat Michigan State in last season’s Champions Classic. That game improved Kentucky’s record in the event to 5-4.
Kansas finished last season ranked No. 1 in top 25 polls conducted by The Associated Press (media) and USA Today (coaches). Kentucky last played the Jayhawks in the 2019 SEC-Big 12 Challenge. UK won that game in Rupp Arena, 71-63.
In future Champions Classic events, Kentucky will play Duke in Madison Square Garden on Nov. 9, 2021, and Michigan State in Indianapolis on Nov. 8, 2022.
As previously announced, Kentucky’s game against Michigan will be in London (England) on Dec. 6. The game is a fundraiser for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
It will also be the first of a three-game series between the schools. Kentucky will play at Michigan on Dec. 4, 2021, with the Wolverines playing at UK on Dec. 3, 2022.
Kentucky and Michigan will have a hard act to follow. Their last meeting came in the 2014 Midwest Region finals. UK won 75-72 thanks to an Aaron Harrison three-pointer late in the second half.
As previously announced, UK will play at Georgia Tech to complete a two-game series. The game will be in Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on Nov. 20. The teams played last season in Rupp Arena.
Kentucky also announced home games against Georgia State on Nov. 20 and Cleveland State on Nov. 30.
Georgia State had a 19-13 record last season. And Kentucky will be playing Cleveland State for the fourth time in John Calipari’s 12 seasons as coach.
Dates for two other games have not been set. Those games will be at Louisville and presumably a home game in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge. Kentucky played at Texas Tech in the event this past season.
Even by the standards of a program synonymous with one-and-done players, Kentucky must undergo a major roster renovation next season. The top six scorers — and eight of the top nine — will not be back.
The lone returnee in that category is sophomore-to-be Keion Brooks, who averaged 4.5 points and 3.2 rebounds. He started six games as a freshman.
Davion Mintz, a transfer from Creighton, will give Kentucky a boost of experience. He started all but two games in Creighton’s two more recent seasons.
Another transfer, Jacob Toppin, will not be eligible to play under current NCAA rules. He can practice.
Overall, Kentucky has lost 94 percent of its scoring, 92.4 percent of its minutes, 84.4 percent of its rebounds, 92.0 percent of its assists and 91.5 percent of its blocks from last season.
UK does have an incoming freshman class ranked No. 1 in the nation by Sports Illustrated.
2020-21 UK schedule
Opponents with confirmed dates as of this week (Home games in all capital letters, except for UCLA):
Nov. 10: Kansas-1
Nov. 20: GEORGIA STATE
Nov. 27: Georgia Tech-2
Nov. 30: CLEVELAND STATE
Dec. 6: Michigan-3
Dec. 19: UCLA-4
1-Champions Classic at United Center in Chicago; 2-Holiday Hoopsgiving at State Farm Arena in Atlanta; 3-Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase at The O2 Arena in London, England; 4-CBS Sports Classic at location TBA.
