Kentucky’s 2026-27 schedule is officially complete, and the final piece is another Big 12 exhibition.
Mark Pope has gone back to the conference that shaped part of his BYU run, adding Central Florida to a preseason slate that already included tune-ups against Little Rock and Texas Tech. The Golden Knights will come to Rupp Arena on Wednesday, October 28.
That gives Kentucky three exhibition tests before the real games start, with Little Rock, Texas Tech and Central Florida all in the mix ahead of the regular-season opener against Manhattan on November 3.
The matchup with UCF fits the profile of the other high-level preseason checks on Kentucky’s calendar. Central Florida brings back five players from last season, including John Bol, who averaged 5.9 points and 5.5 rebounds, and Carmelo Pacheco, who posted 4.6 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. The Golden Knights also added seven players through the portal, highlighted by ASUN DPOY Isaiah Malone from FGCU and Tarleton State scorer Dior Johnson, who put up 24.0 points per game and earned Second Team All-WAC honors.
Texas Tech, another Big 12 opponent on the exhibition list, finished the 2025-26 season 23-11 overall and 12-6 in league play before falling to Alabama in the Round of 32. The Red Raiders’ core includes JT Toppin, Donovan Atwell and Darrion Williams, and they also brought in portal additions Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn from UNLV, Cruz Davis from Hofstra and Jamichael Stillwell from UCF.
Pope’s comfort level with Big 12 opponents makes sense. In his first season after BYU moved from the WCC to the Big 12, he guided the Cougars to a 10-8 mark and a fifth-place finish in a league that was viewed as arguably the best in college basketball that year.
Kentucky’s schedule now stretches from Big Blue Madness on Oct. 2 all the way through a March 6 road trip to Florida, with plenty of heavyweight stops along the way. The Wildcats will face Kansas in the Champions Classic, Indiana in Indianapolis, Louisville at Rupp Arena and North Carolina at Madison Square Garden, while also navigating a deep SEC slate that includes games against Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn and Texas A&M.
Here is Kentucky’s complete 2026-27 schedule:
Oct. 2 Big Blue Madness - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Oct. 16 Little Rock (exhibition) - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Oct. 23 Texas Tech (exhibition) - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Oct. 28 Central Florida (exhibition) - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Nov. 3 Manhattan - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Nov. 6 James Madison - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Nov. 10 vs. Kansas (Champions Classic) - United Center, Chicago, IL
Nov. 13 Northern Arizona - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Nov. 16 Grambling State - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Nov. 20 vs. Indiana - Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
Nov. 27 Wichita State - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Dec. 2 at Virginia (SEC/ACC Challenge) - John Paul Jones Arena, Charlottesville, VA
Dec.
5 Appalachian State - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Dec.
8 Bryant - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Dec.
12 Louisville - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Dec. 19 vs.
North Carolina - Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY
Dec.
22 Sacred Heart - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Dec.
28 Gardner-Webb - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Jan. 2 at Oklahoma (SEC) - Lloyd Noble Center, Norman, OK
Jan. 5/6 Ole Miss (SEC) - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Jan. 9 at Missouri (SEC) - Mizzou Arena, Columbia, MO
Jan.
12/13 LSU (SEC) - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Jan.
16 Vanderbilt (SEC) - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Jan. 19/20 at Mississippi State (SEC) - Humphrey Coliseum, Starkville, MS
Jan. 23 Tennessee (SEC) - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Jan. 30 at Texas (SEC) - Moody Center, Austin, TX
Feb. 2/3 at Ole Miss (SEC) - The Sandy and John Black Pavilion, Oxford, MS
Feb. 6 Alabama (SEC) - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Feb. 9/10 South Carolina (SEC) - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Feb. 13 at Tennessee (SEC) - Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center, Knoxville, TN
Feb. 16/17 at Georgia (SEC) - Stegeman Coliseum, Athens, GA
Feb. 20 Arkansas (SEC) - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
Feb. 23/24 at Vanderbilt (SEC) - Memorial Gymnasium, Nashville, TN
Feb.
27 Auburn (SEC) - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
March 2/3 Texas A&M (SEC) - Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
March 6 at Florida (SEC) - Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, Gainesville, FL
In Other News...
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Kentucky will kick off the Will Stein era at Kroger Field in 2026 with a Week 1 meeting against Youngstown State, a matchup that looks comfortable on paper but still carries a little more bite than a typical season opener. The Wildcats are favored by 23.5 points, and the expectations around a new coaching start usually leave little room for early anxiety, especially at home.
Youngstown State, though, arrives with a profile that deserves attention. The Penguins are ranked No. 9 in the FCS preseason poll and already opened their season with a strong showing from quarterback Beau Brungard, which is enough to make a few people wonder whether the gap in the spread is as safe as it seems. For Kentucky, the game is less about the number next to its name and more about handling a tested opponent cleanly before the first real questions of the Stein tenure begin. [Read more 🡒]
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Preseason odds are already drawing a blunt picture of where Kentucky sits in the SEC pecking order, and it is not hard to read between the lines. FanDuel has the Wildcats near the bottom of the league board at +12500 to win the conference and +6000 to reach the championship game, a reminder of just how steep the climb remains in a league where Georgia and Texas are setting the pace.
For a program trying to reframe its outlook under Will Stein, the path looks even more crowded because Kentucky is scheduled to run into several teams carrying stronger betting respect throughout the fall. Tennessee is at least being mentioned as a possible sleeper, helped by a favorable schedule and a highly recruited freshman quarterback, which only adds another layer to a conference race that already looks unforgiving for the Wildcats. [Read more 🡒]
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What makes Darby especially notable for Kentucky is how quickly the fit came together after the coaching transition. He had previously been committed to LSU, but the Wildcats were able to turn that into a win for their own future, giving Stein and the offensive staff a highly regarded receiver with a chance to step into the rotation early. For a team trying to build momentum under a new head coach, landing a player with Darbys background and upside is the kind of move that can matter well beyond signing day. [Read more 🡒]