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    • Kentucky vs. Kentucky Wesleyan score, updates
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    Kentucky vs. Kentucky Wesleyan score, updates

    Kathleen William Posted on

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    LEXINGTON – A little more than six months after being hired as Kentucky basketball coach, Mark Pope will lead his team onto the court against another team for the first time.

    It simply doesn't count in the overall standings, neither win nor loss.

    UK hosts its first of two preseason exhibitions tonight ahead of the 2024-25 season, hosting state school Kentucky Wesleyan at Rupp Arena. The Panthers are the most successful team in Division II; Their eight national championships (1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1987, 1990, 1999 and 2001) are the most among Division II men's basketball programs.

    Pope isn't the only new addition to the Wildcats' program.

    Aside from former coach John Calipari leaving for Arkansas, all 12 scholarship players from last season's squad have departed. In their place, Pope added nine players from the transfer portal and three new signings entering their first season in Collin Chandler, Trent Noah and Travis Perry.

    How will Kentucky's dozen newcomers fare in their first test against outside competition?

    Below are live updates from Rupp Arena:

    Here are Kentucky's starters against Kentucky Wesleyan:

    Here are Kentucky Wesleyan's starting five:

    Kerr Kriisa, a transfer guard for Kentucky, will not play in tonight's opener against Kentucky Wesleyan because of a hamstring injury. The news was first reported by Cameron Mills during the UK Sports Network pregame show on Wednesday night.

    The hamstring injury also kept Kriisa from participating in the Blue and White's preseason event at Memorial Coliseum last week.

    Kriisa started all 23 games he played in for West Virginia last season and averaged 11.0 points and 4.7 assists in 33.4 minutes per appearance.

    Before his time at West Virginia, he spent three seasons in Arizona. Kriisa led the Pac-12 in assists per game in each of his final two seasons in Arizona, becoming the first player since Southern Cal's Brandon Granville in 2000 and 2001 to lead the league in that category in consecutive seasons. Kriisa appeared in 76 games (70). starts) at Arizona, averaging 9.4 points, 4.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds per contest.

    The show between the Wildcats and Panthers will not air on a traditional television network.

    Instead, it will be streamed live on SEC Network+. Darren Headrick (play-by-play) and Cameron Mills (analyst) will lead the conversation.

    Authenticated SEC Network+ subscribers can watch the exhibition contest on WatchESPN.com, the WatchESPN app or ESPN+.

    Tom Leach (play-by-play) and Jack Givens (analyst) will call the British radio station in Louisville at 840 AM and in Lexington at 630 AM and 98.1 FM.

    You can also listen online via UKAthletics.com.

    • Oct. 18: Blue and White Event (Memorial Coliseum), 6 p.m
    • Oct. 23: Exhibition vs. Kentucky Wesleyan (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network+
    • Oct. 29: Exhibition vs. Minnesota State Mankato (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network+
    • Nov. 4: vs. Wright State (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., ESPNU
    • November 9: vs. Bucknell (Rupp Arena), 4 p.m., SEC Network+
    • November 12: vs. Duke (Champions Classic; State Farm Arena, Atlanta), 9 p.m., ESPN
    • November 19: vs. Lipscomb, (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network+
    • November 22: vs. Jackson State (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network+
    • Nov. 26: vs. Western Kentucky (Rupp Arena), 6:30 p.m., ESPNU
    • November 29: vs. Georgia State (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network
    • December 3: at Clemson (ACC/SEC Challenge), 9:30 p.m., ESPN
    • December 7: vs. Gonzaga (Climate Pledge Arena; Seattle), time to be announced
    • December 11: vs. Colgate (Rupp Arena), 8 p.m., ESPN2
    • December 14: vs. Louisville (Rupp Arena), 5:15 p.m., ESPN
    • December 21: vs. Ohio State (CBS Sports Classic; Madison Square Garden, New York), 5:30 p.m., CBS
    • December 31: vs. Brown (Rupp Arena), 2 p.m., ESPNU
    • January 4: vs. Florida (Rupp Arena), 11 a.m., ESPN
    • Jan. 7: at Georgia, 7 p.m., SEC Network
    • Jan. 11: at Mississippi State, 8:30 p.m., SEC Network
    • Jan. 14: vs. Texas A&M (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU
    • Jan. 18: vs. Alabama (Rupp Arena), noon, ESPN
    • Jan. 25: at Vanderbilt, 2:30 p.m., ESPN/2
    • January 28: at Tennessee, 7 p.m., ESPN
    • February 1: vs. Arkansas (Rupp Arena), 9 p.m., ESPN
    • February 4: at Ole Miss, 7 p.m., ESPN
    • February 8: vs. South Carolina (Rupp Arena), noon, ESPN/ESPN2
    • February 11: vs. Tennessee (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., ESPN
    • February 15: in Texas, 8 p.m., ESPN
    • February 19: vs. Vanderbilt (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network
    • February 22: at Alabama, 6 p.m., ESPN
    • February 26: at Oklahoma, 9 p.m., SEC Network
    • March 1: vs. Auburn (Rupp Arena), 1 p.m., ABC/ESPN
    • March 4: vs. LSU (Rupp Arena), 7/9 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU
    • March 8: at Missouri, noon, ESPN/SEC Network
    • Ansley Almonor (Forward, Senior)
    • Koby Brea (guard, graduate)
    • Lamont Butler (guard, graduate)
    • Andrew Carr (striker, graduate)
    • Collin Chandler (guard, freshman)
    • Grant Darbyshire (guard, junior)
    • Brandon Garrison (forward, sophomore)
    • Walker Horn (guard, junior)
    • Kerr Kriisa (Guardian, Senior)
    • Trent Noah (forward, freshman)
    • Otega Oweh (guard, junior)
    • Travis Perry (guard, freshman)
    • Jaxson Robinson (guard, graduate)
    • Zach Tow (Forward, Junior)
    • Amari Williams (center, graduate)

    Kentucky Wesleyan went 21-9 overall last season and posted a 15-5 record in conference play to win the GMAC regular season title. The program made national headlines last year when it defeated Louisville, 71-68, in an exhibition at the KFC Yum! turned upside down. Center.

    Click here to view the Panthers' full 2024-25 schedule.

    Want to know the Panthers roster?

    Click here for player bios and more.

    We may occasionally recommend products and services that may be of interest to you. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may receive an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently and this has no influence on our reporting.

    Reach Kentucky men's basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

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    Kathleen William
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