Man, what a ride. If you had told a Kentucky fan a year ago that John Calipari would be wearing red in Fayetteville and Mark Pope would be sprinting onto the floor at Rupp Arena as the head man, they’d have probably asked you to pass whatever you were drinking. But here we are. The kentucky basketball schedule 2024 season didn't just bring a new coach; it brought a total identity shift.
Honestly, the schedule itself was a gauntlet designed to test a team with exactly zero returning points. You heard that right. Not a single bucket from the previous roster stayed in Lexington. Pope had to build this thing from scratch using the portal, and the way the 2024-25 schedule shook out, we got to see pretty quickly if his "modern basketball" talk was legit or just coach-speak.
The chaos of the non-conference slate
The early part of the kentucky basketball schedule 2024 was essentially a masterclass in "scheduling for respect." Usually, blue bloods like to pad their stats with a few weeks of "cupcake" games. Pope didn't really do that. By the third game of the year, the Cats were staring down No. 6 Duke in the Champions Classic.
That November 12th game was basically the "vibe check" for the entire season. Kentucky trailed, they looked a bit frantic, and then suddenly, the three-pointers started falling. Andrew Carr—the Wake Forest transfer who Pope calls the most important piece of the puzzle—started stretching the floor in a way we hadn't seen in years. Kentucky walked out of State Farm Arena with a 77-72 win. People started believing.
Then came the December stretch. It was brutal.
- Dec 3: A road trip to Clemson (L, 75-62)
- Dec 7: That wild home game against No. 7 Gonzaga (W, 90-89)
- Dec 14: The Louisville rivalry game (L, 78-76)
- Dec 21: A neutral site clash with St. John's (W, 78-66)
The Gonzaga game on December 7th was particularly insane. Kentucky was down 16 at the half. Most teams with 12 new players would have folded. Instead, they came out and hit everything. It tied a program record for the largest halftime deficit ever overcome. If you weren't watching that night, you missed the moment the "Pope Era" truly felt real.
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SEC play: Welcome to the new neighborhood
Once the calendar flipped to 2025, the kentucky basketball schedule 2024-25 season moved into the SEC grind. The conference is a monster right now. With Texas and Oklahoma joining the fray, there are no "off" nights anymore.
Kentucky's conference run was defined by high-scoring shootouts. They ended the season averaging over 84 points per game. That’s a lot of running. They set a program record with 341 made threes over the course of the year. For a fanbase that spent years begging for more perimeter shooting, this was like mana from heaven.
| Key 2025 SEC Matchups | The Result |
|---|---|
| Jan 11 vs. Mississippi State | W, 92-68 |
| Jan 15 vs. Texas A&M | W, 75-74 |
| Feb 1 vs. Tennessee | W, 88-82 |
| Feb 22 @ Alabama | L, 93-83 |
| March 1 vs. Auburn | W, 85-79 |
The win over Auburn on March 1st was huge because it helped Kentucky tie a national record. They finished the regular season with eight wins against AP Top 15 opponents. Only two other teams in the history of the sport—1993 Indiana and 1979 Duke—have ever done that. It’s kinda wild when you think about it. This was supposed to be a "rebuilding" year.
Why the roster worked
You can’t talk about the schedule without talking about the guys playing it. Jaxson Robinson, who followed Pope from BYU, was the steady hand. But the real surprises were guys like Lamont Butler. Everyone knew he was a defensive stopper at San Diego State, but Pope gave him the green light to play with "afterburners" on offense.
Then there was Koby Brea. The kid from Dayton was statistically the most efficient shooter in the country. Seeing him hit transition threes while the Rupp crowd went ballistic became the signature image of the season.
The postseason and the Sweet 16 ceiling
The kentucky basketball schedule 2024 didn't end in the regular season, obviously. After a decent run in the SEC Tournament, the Cats headed into March Madness as a dangerous seed. They took down Troy and then beat a very tough Illinois team to reach the Sweet 16.
They eventually ran out of gas, finishing the year 24-12. But the "24" in that win column matters way less than the way they won. They played fast. They shared the ball. They actually looked like they were having fun, which, let's be honest, hadn't always been the case lately in Lexington.
How to prepare for next season
If you’re looking to follow the Cats moving forward, there are a few things you should keep in mind. The schedule usually drops in phases—non-conference games are often announced in late summer (August), while the full SEC schedule typically lands in September.
- Get the SEC Network+ app. A lot of the early games are tucked away on digital-only platforms. Don't be the person scrambling for a login ten minutes before tip-off.
- Follow the "Rupp 100" trackers. Pope’s goal is to get 100 shots up. If they hit that mark, they almost never lose.
- Watch the portal. Since Pope doesn't rely solely on one-and-done freshmen, the "schedule" for roster building is now a year-round event in April and May.
The 2024-25 season proved that Kentucky doesn't need a five-year plan to be relevant. They just needed a new blueprint. Whether you're a die-hard who hasn't missed a game since the 90s or a casual fan just checking the scores, the energy around this program has shifted. The schedule for next year is already looking like another gauntlet, and honestly? That’s exactly how it should be.
Next step: You should check the official UK Athletics site or the SEC's master calendar in late August 2026 for the first confirmed non-conference dates for the upcoming winter season.