LEXINGTON – The CBS Sports activities Basic is not going to be off the Kentucky basketball schedule any time quickly.
In January, the UK signed a three-year extension of its annual impartial website presentation occasion. The brand new contract, awarded to The Courier Journal, will maintain an occasion in Kentucky with North Carolina, UCLA and Ohio for the 2026-2027 season.
Kentucky will play Ohio in 2024, UCLA in 2025 and North Carolina in 2026 in three cities to be introduced.
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The growth will be certain that Kentucky continues in at the least two of its impartial video games over the subsequent three seasons. ESPN has beforehand introduced that the Champions Basic, that includes Kentucky, Duke, Michigan State and Kansas, has been prolonged for the 2025-2026 season.
In comparison with latest years, the Champions Basic is not performed because the opening recreation of the season. The video games are scheduled for November 14, 2023; 12.11.2024 and 18.11.2025.
Kentucky’s participation in quite a lot of impartial video games acquired extra consideration final season as criticism was leveled on the lack of tent non-conference video games at Rupp Area.
“We have now heard votes on the timetable,” UK sports activities director Mitch Barnhart instructed The Courier Journal in February. “We have performed plenty of video games in impartial locations. A few of the greater video games, greater names have been in impartial locations. I feel sooner or later they have been helpful for our program. It is clear we need to play. Extra video games at Rupp Area, which I do not need to say that they matter, however our followers would acknowledge, boy, these are particular video games. “
Whereas impartial video games can weaken Kentucky’s residence plan, they’re a monetary boon to the division.
Beneath an settlement with the Courier Journal, ESPN pays the UK $ 275,000 for collaborating within the 2023 Champions Basic and $ 300,000 for collaborating within the 2024 and 2025 occasions. The UK will even obtain 20% of whole ticket income, which can exceed $ 1.1 million in 2023 and $ 1.2 million in 2024 and 2025.
CBS pays Kentucky $ 250,000 for every CBS Sports activities Basic recreation from 2023-2026.
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Kentucky should play a 3rd impartial recreation in every of the subsequent two seasons.
The Wildcats will face Michigan in London, England on December 4th. The Basketball Corridor of Fame pays Kentucky $ 500,000 to take part within the recreation. A impartial pitch recreation within the metropolis, nonetheless introduced by Notre Dame, was initially scheduled to happen as a part of a three-year collection within the 2022-2023 season, with each groups taking part in of their residence arenas, however rejected in 2023-2024. in line with the report from CBS Sports Jon Rothstein.
Subsequent season, the Kentucky group can have at the least two spectacular residence video games.
Louisville’s annual rivalry can be held at Rupp Area on December 31, 2022. Kentucky will host the Massive 12 / SEC Problem on January 28, 2023.
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The change to the Louisville collection, which was needed when the sport of 2021 was interrupted resulting from issues with Louisville’s COVID-19 program, implies that within the seasons ending just a few years, Kentucky is not assured to host at the least one Louisville recreation and Massive / 12 SEC problem. Because the SEC determined to maintain its males’s basketball schedule till 18 video games after Texas and Oklahoma joined the league, Kentucky now is aware of that two new collection should be added these seasons to make sure Rupp Area performs for at the least two main non-conference opponents.
“There are nonetheless moments after we need to go play in Madison Sq. Backyard or play in Chicago or Vegas,” Barnhart mentioned in February. “We have now a few video games we need to play, however by the tip of the day, Rupp Area must be well-balanced.
E-mail Jon Hale at jahale@courier-journal.com; Comply with him on Twitter @JonHale_CJ.