LEXINGTON, Ky. — Like with college football, the coronavirus is forcing universities to adapt to the changing landscape.  The University of Kentucky men's basketball team revised its complete schedule for the 2020-21 season.

The Cats will play nine non-conference games along with 18 Southeastern Conference (SEC) games. Their season tips off Nov. 25 at Rupp Arena against Morehead State in the Bluegrass Showcase.  UK will play eight of its nine non-conference games before conference play begins on Dec. 29 against the Gamecocks of South Carolina. The Texas Longhorns are traveling east to play the Wildcats in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. on Jan. 30. The SEC Tournament is set to be held March 10-14 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Following NCAA guidelines for scheduling, UK will participate in 24 regular-season games and a three-game multi-team event, resulting in 27 total games before postseason play.  

“With all that we’ve been through the last eight months, we are beyond grateful to return to competition and begin the 2020-21 season,” UK head coach John Calipari said. “We don’t know exactly how this is all going to play out with the virus, but the health and safety of our players and our staff is going to be at the forefront of everything we do.

The Cats non-conference matchups will include the game against Louisville, as well as games with Kansas, Notre Dame, UCLA, Georgia Tech, and Texas. 

“This schedule will serve as a great test for our young team,” Calipari said. “We will have to learn to fail fast. Things will be a bit different in how we do things to stay safe, but we are going to make this as normal of an experience for our players and our fans as we can, and I’m confident what we’ve put together will prepare us to make a run at the end of the season. Like everyone else, I can’t wait to return to competition.” 

 The full schedule is below:

RUPP ARENA AND MEMORIAL COLISEUM

To prepare for the upcoming season of not only UK's men's team, but also the women's basketball team, UK is implementing reduced capacity guidelines for Rupp Arena and Memorial Coliseum. 

The anticipated attendance for this season at both facilities is up to 15% of normal arena capacity, and that number includes players, coaches, essential personnel, media, and a limited number of fans. The plan is subject to change based on information from local, state, and national health developments. 

GAMEDAY CHANGES

To make sure everyone attending games at Rupp and Memorial Coliseum are safe, UK has several measures to promote a healthy game-day experience. The measures include: 

• Enhanced cleaning and sanitization procedures throughout the arena before and during all events
• Mobile ticketing to reduce contact between staff and fans
• Requiring face coverings for all fans at all times, except for when fans are actively eating or drinking while sitting in their seats
• Requiring fans to keep the proper physical distance
• Providing signage in common areas to assist with physical distancing
• Locating hand sanitization and washing stations located throughout the arena
• Increasing physical spacing while using elevators by reducing the capacity of each elevator
• Providing concessions featuring cashless transactions
• Discouraging the bringing of bags of any sort. Only small, clear bags will be admitted

Fans with pre-existing health conditions, or those who are at greater risk, should consider not attending sporting events at this time. Even with these measures in place, UK Athletics can, in no way, guarantee that fans will not be exposed to COVID-19.

TICKET INFORMATION AND OPTIONS

The UK Ticket Office and K Fund will communicate directly with season ticket holders to provide information regarding 2020-21 season tickets and to begin the ticketing process. Tickets will be sold in season packages for both men’s and women’s basketball, and K Fund priority rankings will determine the order for ticket assignment.

Available tickets will be spaced throughout Rupp Arena and Memorial Coliseum and will be primarily sold in small blocks of two (2), three (3), and four (4) seats to maximize attendance opportunities for a greater number of season ticket accounts. All seating will be reserved, and ticket holders will be required to sit in their assigned seats.  

 Fans will receive their tickets via mobile delivery and must scan them on a mobile device for entry at Rupp Arena and Memorial Coliseum.

Fans will notice a different on-court setup this season. UK will add distance between the court and spectators. The team benches and scorer’s table areas will be completely reconfigured to ensure physical distancing for participants and essential personnel. Several rows of floor and riser seating surrounding the court will be unavailable this season, as a minimum 12-foot buffer zone is required between the floor area and the first row of spectator seating on all sides.

Details about student ticketing will be shared once those plans are finalized. Student tickets will be issued on a single-game basis.