Kentucky’s SEC women’s basketball slate starts with LSU, ends with South Carolina
Kentucky women’s basketball will ring in New Year’s Day in Baton Rouge.
The Wildcats learned their complete Southeastern Conference schedule on Tuesday when the league announced its full slate for the 2025-26 season. For the 17th consecutive year, each team will tackle a 16-game schedule — long referred to by conference coaches and players as “a gauntlet” serving as the perfect preparation for postseason play — with each program to play eight home games and eight games on the road.
Tipoff times and TV channel designations have yet to be assigned.
Each team also plays one opponent twice each season; that opponent rotates annually, and UK’s 2025-26 draw is Vanderbilt. The Commodores feature a talented roster led by reigning SEC Freshman of the Year Mikayla Blakes.
Following a nonconference schedule that includes the likes of Morehead State, Louisville, Buffalo, Purdue, Maryland, Miami (Fla.) and Belmont, Kentucky will open conference play at LSU on Thursday, Jan. 1.
Then seventh-ranked LSU pulled out a hard-fought 65-58 win over UK in Memorial Coliseum last season before moving on to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats’ league home opener will take place against Missouri — the new home of three-year UK guard Saniah Tyler — on Sunday, Jan. 4.
On Thursday, Jan. 8, Kentucky will play at Alabama before returning home for a Jan. 11 tip versus Oklahoma. Last season, the Wildcats beat the Sooners in Norman behind a program record-tying performance from now-Washington Mystic Georgia Amoore, but fell to OU in the 2025 SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
On Thursday, Jan. 15, Kentucky will host Florida before a flight to Mississippi State on Jan. 18.
Kentucky’s annual rivalry matchup against Tennessee will take place on Thursday, Jan. 22 in Knoxville. Last season, Kentucky solidified its top-16 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament with a dominant 82-58 win over the Lady Vols in Memorial Coliseum in the penultimate game of the regular season.
On Sunday, Jan. 25, the Wildcats will host Georgia, which is looking to bounce back after back-to-back seasons under .500. After a bit of a break, Kentucky will return to action at Arkansas on Sunday, Feb. 1. The Razorbacks enter this season under new leadership, as new head coach Kelsi Musick works to right the ship after Arkansas last made the NCAA Tournament in 2022.
Kentucky’s first battle with Vandy will take place in Memorial Coliseum on Thursday, Feb. 5. The Wildcats will next travel to Austin to play reigning Final Four program and 2025 SEC regular season co-champion Texas on Sunday, Feb. 9.
The Wildcats will host Texas A&M on Thursday, Feb. 12 and hope to pick up a bit of a revenge win; the Aggies shocked the league last season by handing UK its first conference loss in College Station on Jan. 23, 2025. Another opportunity for redemption will arrive Feb. 15 when Ole Miss comes to Lexington. The Rebels defeated UK in Oxford last year 66-57.
Kentucky will play Vanderbilt in Nashville on Sunday, Feb. 22, and remain on the road to play at Auburn on Thursday, Feb. 26. Auburn joins Arkansas in new leadership this season, as Larry Vickers was hired away from a successful tenure at Norfolk State following the firing of former Tigers’ leader Johnnie Harris.
For the second consecutive year, UK will close out regular-season play with a battle against South Carolina. The reigning SEC Tournament champion and SEC regular-season co-champion Gamecocks beat Kentucky in the final minutes of their closely fought matchup last year, mustering a 78-66 victory. This year, the Gamecocks must face Kentucky in Memorial Coliseum on March 1.
On July 25, ESPN named 10 teams with the best chance to win the 2026 NCAA title, and five of those schools were from the SEC: South Carolina, Texas, LSU, Tennessee and Oklahoma.
The 2026 SEC Tournament returns to Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, and will take place from Wednesday, March 4 through Sunday, March 8.
Kentucky’s nonconference schedule for 2025-26 remains incomplete, most likely awaiting only the date for its annual rivalry game against Louisville.
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. 12: USC UPSTATE
Nov. 18: PURDUE
Nov. 26: Maryland-1
Nov. 28: Morgan State-1
Dec. 3: At Miami (Fla.)-2
Dec. 7: CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Dec. 14: At Belmont
Dec. 19: WRIGHT STATE
Dec. 28: HOFSTRA
Jan. 1: At LSU
Jan. 4: MISSOURI
Jan. 8: At Alabama
Jan. 11: OKLAHOMA
Jan. 15: FLORIDA
Jan. 18: At Mississippi State
Jan. 22: At Tennessee
Jan. 25: GEORGIA
Feb. 1: At Arkansas
Feb. 5: VANDERBILT
Feb. 9: At Texas
Feb. 12: TEXAS A&M
Feb. 15: OLE MISS
Feb. 22: At Vanderbilt
Feb. 26: At Auburn
March 1: SOUTH CAROLINA
March 4-8: SEC TOURNAMENT-3
1-Discover Puerto Rico Shootout at San Juan; 2-ACC/SEC Challenge; 3-At Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C.
This story was originally published August 5, 2025 at 12:42 PM.
