Kentucky women’s basketball’s marquee non-conference matchup was announced Tuesday afternoon.
The Wildcats, entering year two of the Kenny Brooks era, will hit the road for this year’s edition of the Battle of the Bluegrass. UK revealed that Kentucky and Louisville will go head-to-head on Saturday, Nov. 22, at the KFC Yum! Center. It will mark the 60th all-time meeting between the two in-state schools. A tip-off time and TV assignment will be announced at a later date.
Kentucky holds a record of 24-35 against Louisville in this series, including an 11-16 mark on the road.
In last season’s matchup, Kentucky came out on top in overtime, winning 71-61 with a sold-out Memorial Coliseum cheering on the ‘Cats — the program’s first win over UL since 2015. UK outscored the Cardinals by 17 points in the final 16 minutes to force an extra period and ultimately earn a statement win early into Brooks’ tenure. Georgia Amoore led the way with 19 points and nine assists in the win — who will step up this year with Amoore now in the WNBA?
Kentucky’s non-conference schedule is admittedly a bit light on top-end opponents. Louisville and Maryland are the only teams on the docket projected to be among the preseason top 25. The ‘Cats will also face Purdue and Miami (FL), but the rest of the slate is made up of mid-major or low-major schools. UK is still expected to add one more non-conference game soon, which will complete the 2025-26 schedule.
Below is Kentucky’s current non-conference schedule for the upcoming season.
Nov. 3 – vs. Morehead State
Nov. 6 – vs. Monmouth
Nov. 9 – at Buffalo
Nov. 12 – vs. USC Upstate
Nov. 18 – vs. Purdue
Nov. 22 – at Louisville
Nov. 26 – vs. Maryland (Discover Puerto Rico Tournament)
Nov. 28 – vs. Morgan State (Discover Puerto Rico Tournament)
Dec. 3 – at Miami (FL) (SEC/ACC Challenge)
Dec. 7 – vs. Central Michigan
Dec. 14 – at Belmont
Dec. 19 – vs. Wright State
Dec. 28 – vs. Hofstra
Don’t worry about the Wildcats not being battle-tested come tournament time, though. Kentucky’s SEC competition will make up for it and then some. UK is projected to play eight games against conference foes currently ranked in ESPN’s Way-Too-Early Top 25, including top-ranked South Carolina at home in the regular season finale.
Kentucky finished with a 23-8 record in year one under Brooks, which featured an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Amoore is gone, but with the likes of Teonni Key and Clara Strack holding down the frontcourt, along with the addition of Tonie Morgan (Georgia Tech) through the portal, the ‘Cats will be a threat in the SEC once again.
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