Kentucky may have another notable non-conference game taking shape for next season, and this one would land on a holiday stage.
According to KSR’s Matt Jones, the Wildcats are working on a Black Friday matchup with West Virginia in Nashville. The game is not finalized yet, and negotiations are still ongoing, but it would give Kentucky a high-profile day-after-Thanksgiving meeting to circle on the 2026-27 schedule.
Jones also reported that Kentucky had explored a game with Illinois, which would have been a major non-conference test, but that plan fell through. In Jon Rothstein’s Preseason 45 ranking, Illinois is No. 3 overall, Kentucky is No. 16, and West Virginia is unranked.
West Virginia arrives with some momentum from Ross Hodge’s first season in charge. The Mountaineers went 21-14, with Hodge taking over after being hired from North Texas to replace Darian DeVries, who spent one year in Morgantown before leaving for Indiana.
The season still ended on a strong note for West Virginia, which missed the NCAA Tournament but won the College Basketball Crown by beating Oklahoma 89-82 in overtime in the title game.
CBS Sports’ Big 12 preseason tiers have the Mountaineers slotted fifth in the conference and placed in the “Tournament Team” tier, ahead of programs like BYU, Baylor, and Texas Tech.
There’s also plenty of new talent to watch. Butler transfer Finley Bizjack was one of the top shooting guards available in the portal before landing in Morgantown, and freshman point guard Miles Sadler is another major name. ESPN has ranked Sadler as high as No. 16 overall in the 2026 class.
“Speed. That’s the first thing you notice about this new-look West Virginia roster.
Butler transfer Finley Bizjack and top-20 freshman Miles Sadler can both hit the gas and leave defenders in the dust,” wrote CBS’ Isaac Trotter. “Sadler has the opportunity and the talent to be a real Big 12 Freshman of the Year contender, and West Virginia is primed to give him the ball and let him shred from Day One.”
“There’s room for this offense to be a tough cover with Sadler and Bizjack playing on the ball, Joson Sanon adding shot-making, big man Mo Sylla operating as a lob threat and FSU transfer Martin Somerville checking in off the bench to bring instant offense and plenty of triples. Sylla also has terrific defensive tools and could be a match made in heaven under outstanding defensive coach, Ross Hodge. West Virginia’s defense won’t allow much at the rim with the no-middle gameplan and Sylla looming on the back line as a shot-blocker.”
In Other News...
Kentucky Just Made The Cut For A 5-Star Pope Needs
DeMarcus Henrys recruitment is starting to tighten, and Kentucky is still in the mix for one of the classs most coveted wings. The 5-star small forward from Arizona Compass Prep has been one of the more intriguing names on the board, thanks to a smooth scoring package that has made him a difficult cover at every level and helped him stand out at the NBA Top 100 camp in June.
For Mark Pope and his staff, the appeal is obvious. Henry brings the kind of shot-making and versatile offense that can translate in a hurry, especially for a program looking to keep stacking high-end perimeter talent, and Kentucky now has a real chance to stay in the conversation as his recruitment moves into a more serious stage. The next step will be seeing whether the Wildcats can turn that interest into something more concrete before the race narrows even further. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Is Suddenly In The Middle Of A Massive 5-Star Battle
Kentuckys recent recruiting surge has put Mark Pope and his staff in a strong position with one five-star already in the fold and another high-end target now squarely on the board. Ryan Hamptons commitment gave the Wildcats a big early win, and the attention has quickly shifted to Demarcus Henry, a coveted wing whose blend of size, skill and upside has made him one of the more closely watched names in the class.
Henry has trimmed his list to eight schools, with Kentucky still very much in the mix, and the next step is getting him on campus. A visit would give the Wildcats a chance to build on the momentum they have already created, especially with Mo Williams having played a notable role in Hamptons recruitment and now part of the broader effort to keep Kentucky in the hunt as the battle tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Just Got A Tense New 2027 Recruiting Reality
The latest round of 2027 basketball rankings gave Kentucky a clearer picture of where it stands with the class, and it is a reminder that the early recruiting board can change quickly. Ryan Hampton, the Wildcats lone commit so far, has seen his profile shift a bit across the major services, while the rest of the class is still taking shape around a group of nationally coveted prospects. For a program that has already shown interest across multiple positions, these updates only sharpen the importance of what comes next.
C.J. Rosser remains one of the names worth tracking for Kentucky, with the services not exactly aligned on where he fits in the pecking order. The same goes for the broader chase, where the Wildcats are still working on several high-end targets and trying to build momentum before the class settles in. In that kind of race, the rankings are only part of the story, but they do help show just how competitive Kentuckys 2027 board is becoming. [Read more 🡒]