Kentucky’s first basketball roster under Mark Pope is just about complete, and now, the 2024-25 schedule is really starting to take shape.
For the Wildcats, obviously the new SEC slate has been announced and is in place, meanwhile, the program has all of its marquee non-conference games scheduled as well, save for a late surprise. Now, it comes down to filling out those remaining non-conference slots with your typical mid-majors, the “cupcake” opponents, as some would say.
At his summer press conference this week, Pope spoke on the scheduling topic and noted that Kentucky is nearly done with filling out the ’25 slate.
“Yeah, we’re close. We’re really close,” he answered. “I think we’re just waiting on some contracts.” Pope then went on to explain how much of a headache scheduling can really be nowadays.
“Scheduling is just complicated. It is,” he added. “Like, it has never ceased to amaze me how complicated it is to put together a schedule, and more complicated now than ever for like 10 different reasons.”
The difficulty in putting this schedule together only means that Kentucky has an exciting November and December to look forward to before the madness in SEC play.
“But I think we’re really excited about our schedule,” said Pope. “We’re playing some of the best teams in the country early. You know, we like the way that it’s spaced out during the non-conference and it’s going to be fun. I can’t wait to get into Rupp, I just can’t wait, can’t wait to get in there.”
As it currently sits, Kentucky has a number of non-conference games lined up. There’s Duke in the annual Champions Classic to start the year. And then, the ‘Cats travel to face 2024 Elite Eight squad Clemson on the road in the ACC-SEC challenge. They also get Ohio State as part of the CBS Sports Classic, Gonzaga as part of a six-year series vs. them, and of course, Louisville, the annual rival.
Duke and Gonzaga are sure to open the year ranked top-10, while Clemson just had a terrific year, Ohio State is in a new regime, and so is Louisville, who has no option but to be much better than under Kenny Payne.
That’s a pretty strong slate of opponents even before you mix in the various mid-major teams Kentucky will face, and some of those clubs are often sneaky good.
One fact is certain and it’s that Mark Pope isn’t taking the easy road in year one.
The post Mark Pope on where Kentucky’s schedule stands: ‘We’re close’ appeared first on On3.
