Kentucky women’s basketball sets date for rematch with Big Ten opponent
The second part of Kentucky’s home-and-home with Purdue is officially on the books.
The Wildcats, who earned their first-ever win against the Boilermakers in last year’s 30-point road victory on Dec. 14, announced Tuesday that this year’s battle with the Big Ten Conference foe will take place in Memorial Coliseum on Nov. 18. Tip time and TV designations will be announced later.
Now entering their fifth season under head coach and former Purdue guard Katie Gearlds, the Boilermakers finished last season 10-19 (3-15 Big Ten). Purdue’s season concluded with a 20-point home loss to rival Indiana, having missed the eligibility cutoff for the Big Ten Tournament.
The Boilermakers graduated five players from last season’s roster, and lost an additional six to the transfer portal; Purdue’s top four scorers, each of whom averaged fewer than 10 points per game, will not return for 2025-26.
However, Gearlds did do her best to reload, signing six transfers from across Division I in guards Tara Daye (St. John’s), Taylor Feldman (Northern Arizona), Taylor Henderson (UNC Wilmington), Kiki Smith (Arkansas) and Nya Smith (UNC Greensboro), plus forward Saige Stahl (Indiana State). Gearlds also successfully convinced senior wing Madison Layden-Zay to stay after she’d entered the portal. Layden-Zay averaged 4.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.8 steals in 22.4 minutes across 20 contests for the Boilermakers last season.
November’s date will mark the fourth contest between the Wildcats and the Boilermakers. Kentucky will look to even the all-time series record, which currently sits 2-1 in Purdue’s favor. Purdue defeated Kentucky 48-40 in West Lafayette, Indiana, on Dec. 18, 1999, and 87-67 in Memorial Coliseum on Dec. 1, 2000. UK won 82-52 last season in West Lafayette.
2025-26 UK women’s basketball schedule
Games confirmed to this point (home games in all capital letters):
Nov. 3: MOREHEAD STATE
Nov. 6: MONMOUTH
Nov. 9: At Buffalo
Nov. 18: PURDUE
Dec. 3: At Miami (Fla.)-x
Dec. 7: CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Dec. 14: At Belmont
Dec. 19: WRIGHT STATE
Dec. 28: HOFSTRA
SEC home games (dates TBA): Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt.
SEC road games (dates TBA): Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Texas, Vanderbilt.
x-ACC/SEC Challenge
