LEXINGTON- Kentucky men’s basketball returns to Rupp Arena This evening.
And for the first time since 2008-09 seasonTHE Wild cats will be led by a coach other than John Calipari.
First year coach Marc Pape And The new UK team have their first pre-season exhibition today, hosting a public school Kentucky Wesleyan.
Pope, a Kentucky alumnus who was a team captain of the club winning the national title in 1995-96took over the program after spending the last five seasons at BYU. He will try to bring the Wildcats back to the forefront. NCAA Tournament; Kentucky hasn’t advanced outside of opening weekend since 2019, when he reached the Elite Eight.
The Panthers are a Division II program, located in Owensboro, that competes in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. Kentucky Wesleyan went 21-9 last season, going 15-5 in conference play to win the GMAC regular season title. The program made national headlines last year when it upset Louisville71-68, in an exhibition at KFC Yum! Center.
The Panthers eight national championships (1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1987, 1990, 1999 and 2001) are the most among Division II men’s basketball programs.
Drew Cooper enters his seventh season as Kentucky Wesleyan’s coach, owning an 83-75 record during his tenure. Prior to his time at Kentucky Wesleyan, Cooper had a 94-46 record at Thomas More College in five seasons. He also served as an assistant to Bellarmine from 2007 to 2013, a period during which the program won the Division II national championship in 2011.
Here’s what you need to know to follow along from home:
Kentucky Basketball vs. Kentucky Wesleyan Start Time
UK and Kentucky Wesleyan are scheduled to tip off today at 7 p.m. at Rupp Arena.
What channel is UK vs. Kentucky Wesleyan basketball on today?
The exhibition between the Wildcats and the Panthers will not be broadcast on a traditional television channel.
Instead, it will be broadcast live on SEC Network+. Darren Headrick (play-by-play) and Cameron Mills (analyst) will get the call.
Authenticated SEC Network+ subscribers can watch the exhibition contest on WatchESPN.comthe WatchESPN or ESPN+ app.
Those without access to SEC Network+ can access coverage through an ESPN+ subscription. (To sign up for ESPN+, click here.)
How to listen to Kentucky vs Kentucky Wesleyan on the radio
Tom Leach (play-by-play) and Jack Givens (analyst) will call the UK Radio Network at 8:40 a.m. in Louisville and 6:30 a.m. and 98.1 FM in Lexington.
You can also listen online via UKAthletics.com.
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Contact Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
This article was originally published in the Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky vs Kentucky Wesleyan game today: channel, time, streaming
