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Kentucky basketball announces Exhibition Schedule

Kentucky basketball officially begins Oct. 14 with the annual spectacle of Big Blue Madness.

It's never too early to get excited about next season.

“Next season” officially begins Oct. 14 with the annual spectacle of , introducing the 2016-17 men's and women's basketball teams. Madness will begin at 7 p.m. in Rupp Arena and will air on the SEC Network.

That's just the beginning of the exhibition slate, which will encompass Madness, the Blue-White Scrimmage and 's first two exhibition games vs. Clarion and Asbury. All events and games are scheduled for 7 p.m. starts. All four events will also be televised live by the SEC Network.

Just one week from the official opening of the 2016-17 season, the annual Blue-White Scrimmage will take place Oct. 21. Tipping off at 7 p.m., fans of the Big Blue Nation will see next year's team in action, including the nation's No. 1 recruiting class of Edrice “Bam” Adebayo, De'Aaron Fox, , and .

will once again have two exhibition contests before opening up regular-season action. UK will take on Clarion, the alma matter of head coach , on Oct. 30. A week later UK's final tune-up will pit Asbury vs. the Wildcats on Nov. 6.  Both of those games will tip at 7 p.m. and air on the SEC Network.

The game vs. Clarion will be the second of the Calipari era. UK also took on the Golden Eagles in an exhibition game prior to the 2009-10 season. UK and Asbury will meet for the first time in program history.

Ticket information, along with the 2016-17 regular-season non-conference slate and the 2017 Southeastern Conference schedule are expected to be released later this summer. Information regarding campout for Big Blue Madness will also be released at a later time.

2016-17 Kentucky Men's Basketball Exhibition Schedule

Date Event/Opponent Time TV Network
Oct. 14 Big Blue Madness 7 p.m. SEC Network
Oct. 21 Blue-White Scrimmage 7 p.m. SEC Network
Oct. 30 vs. Clarion 7 p.m. SEC Network
Nov. 6 vs. Asbury 7 p.m. SEC Network

 

On This Day In UK Basketball History

On March 28, 1992, in what many called the “best NCAA Tournament game ever,” Kentucky takes defending NCAA champion Duke into overtime before losing 104-103 in the East Regional finals in Philadelphia. A last-second shot by Christian Laettner sends Duke to the Final Four, and breaks the hearts of Wildcat fans everywhere. It is Cawood Ledford’s last game as the “Voice of the Wildcats.”

 

On March 28, 1998, against Stanford, Kentucky rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit, then grabbed a 5-point overtime lead, before fending off the Cardinals to advance to the title game for the third straight season. Jeff Sheppard canned three long-range three-pointers - two in the final three minutes and one in overtime - en route to a career-high 27 points.

 

On March 28, 2014, unranked Kentucky beat No. 5 Louisville 74-69, in the 2014 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.  Aaron Harrison buried a three-pointer from the left corner with 39 seconds left that put UK ahead to stay before 41,072 in Lucas Oil Stadium.

 

On March 28, 2015, No. 1 Kentucky defeated No. 8 Notre Dame, 68-66, in the 2015 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.  With its 37-0 record on the line, Kentucky trailed Notre Dame 59-53 with 6:14 left. UK rallied in front of 19,464 fans in Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena and preserved its perfect season thanks to a crucial blocked shot by Willie Cauley-Stein and two game-deciding free throws from Andrew Harrison in the final seconds.

 

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