Kentucky’s date against Louisville at KFC Yum Center is set, per report

Kentucky fans won’t have to worry about a bowl conflict this year when John Calipari’s team takes on Kenny Payne and the Cardinals in Louisville at KFC Yum Center.

The game will be played on Thursday, Dec. 21, according to Jon Rothstein, a slight departure from recent years when it was typically played between Christmas and New Year’s.

Kentucky leads the all-time series 38-17. Under John Calipari, UK is 12-3 in the series, and each loss has happened on the road in 2012-13, 2016-17, and 2020-21. Last season on New Year’s Eve at Rupp Arena, Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe had 24 points and 14 rebounds, Jacob Toppin added a career-high 24 points and the No. 19 Cats shot a season-best 60% to dispatch of the Cards, 86-63.

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Payne, a former Calipari assistant, had a woeful 4-28 first season in the River City. Payne spent 10 seasons as an assistant coach and later associate head coach at Kentucky from 2010-20 under Calipari.

This game adds to the known non-conference matchups for the Cats in the 2023-24 season.

It’s also the third big game in December for the Wildcats following November games against Kansas and Miami.

Nov. 14: vs. Kansas | Champions Classic | United Center, Chicago, IL
Nov. 20: vs. St. Joe’s | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Nov. 28: vs. Miami | ACC/SEC Challenge | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Dec. 2: vs. UNC Wilmington | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Dec. 16: vs. TBD | CBS Sports Classic | State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
Dec. 21 at Louisville | KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, KY
TBA: vs. Gonzaga | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY

Keith Farner

A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.