No. 23 Kentucky opens its men’s basketball season Tuesday night against Manhattan, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. EST at Rupp Arena inside Central Bank Center in downtown Lexington.
The Wildcats and Jaspers both enter at 0-0, but if you’re looking for the game on television, you won’t find it there. The opener is not airing on a traditional TV network. Instead, the only video option is the digital SEC Network+ stream.
Fans with a cable package that includes the SEC Network should be able to access the SEC Network+ broadcast at no extra cost through the WatchESPN app. ESPN customer service can be reached at (888) 549-3776 or (800) 727-1800, and additional help is available at https://support.espn.com/hc/en-us.
The SEC Network+ broadcast team has not been announced.
For listeners, the game will be carried over the air on WLAP-AM 630 and WBUL-FM 98.1 in Lexington, as well as WHAS-AM 840 in Louisville. A statewide list of UK radio affiliates is also available. On satellite radio, the game is on XM Channel 229 and Internet Channel 953.
Online, fans can follow live updates at Kentucky.com during the game. The matchup can also be streamed through WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN app, depending on the viewer’s TV service provider. Photos and links will be posted on the Kentucky.com and KentuckySports.com Facebook pages.
Kentucky’s roster, Manhattan’s roster, the series history between the teams and the odds are all available through the provided links, and Kentucky.com will have comprehensive postgame coverage.
In Other News...
Kentuckys Big Portal Bet Is About To Face Its Most Personal Test
Kentuckys offensive line makeover got a major boost when Lance Heard arrived through the transfer portal after stops at LSU and Tennessee, and the move has paid off in a big way. Heard quickly settled in as one of the Wildcats most important pieces up front, drawing midseason All-American recognition and building the kind of NFL draft buzz that follows top tackles when they start looking the part.
What makes his rise even more notable is how seamlessly he has fit into a Kentucky season that has leaned on the front five to keep everything moving. Coaches have pointed to his athleticism and intelligence as reasons he has become so valuable so fast, and now his impact is no longer just about potential or projection. It is about how he handles the next stretch, when the spotlight gets brighter and the expectations around him only keep growing. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys Playoff Push Faces Its Toughest Test Yet At Tennessee
Kentuckys rise in the AP Top 25 kept rolling even without a game last weekend, as the Wildcats climbed to No. 8 while sitting at 7-1 overall and 5-1 in SEC play under first-year coach Will Stein. The timing of the bye week gave Kentucky a chance to catch its breath, but it also set up a much bigger measuring stick: a trip to Tennessee, where the stakes get higher and the margin for error gets thinner.
The Volunteers bring a defense that has earned plenty of respect, along with a running game led by DeSean Bishop, and both teams will enter the matchup rested after a week off. For Kentucky, the challenge is as much about proving the playoff push is real as it is about handling a familiar SEC road test, especially with Tennessees quarterback situation adding another layer to a game that already feels like one of the seasons defining moments. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Heads Into Tennessee With Stakes This Rivalry Rarely Sees
For a rivalry that has spent so much of its history trying to spoil the other sides season, Kentucky and Tennessee are finally meeting with something bigger than pride on the line. Saturdays game in Knoxville pairs No. 8 Kentucky with No. 16 Tennessee in a matchup that carries real College Football Playoff weight under the new 12-team format, turning a familiar SEC grudge into one of the most consequential games either program has played in the series.
The setting only adds to the intrigue. Both teams still have realistic postseason paths, and the stakes are high enough that the result could shape the rest of their schedules as much as the standings. It also gives Kentucky a fresh coaching wrinkle to watch in the 122nd meeting between these schools, with Will Stein and Josh Heupel set to guide the next chapter of a rivalry that rarely has this much national relevance attached to it. [Read more 🡒]