Kentucky basketball in negotations with Big 12 team for Black Friday game, per report
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Kentucky is looking at playing a nonconference game of note on Black Friday.
Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio reports, per sources, that UK is in negotiations with West Virginia about a November meeting. Jones adds that Kentucky was initially looking at playing Illinois, but those talks fell through.
Sources tell KSR that Kentucky is in negotiations to play West Virginia in basketball on Black Friday in Nashville
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) July 7, 2026
There was a possibility of the game being against Illinois but that fell through and now it’s potentially West Virginia. Deal still not finalized
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Mark Pope’s Wildcats are coming off of a 2025-26 season that saw UK post a 22-14 overall record and 10-8 mark in SEC play, finishing 6 games back in the conference standings. Kentucky notched an overtime win in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, but fell to Iowa State in the Round of 32, failing to reach the Sweet 16.
West Virginia had a 21-14 season in 2025-26. The Mountaineers did not reach the NCAA Tournament, but they won the College Basketball Crown, defeating Stanford, Creighton and Oklahoma in Las Vegas.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
