Kentucky Wildcats 5 for Friday: UK's basketball schedule really taking shape
By Paul Jordan
The Kentucky Wildcats have now released their non conference basketball schedule for the 2011-2012 season, so grab your calendars and let’s start marking dates. It is a pretty tough slate, and most pundits have said that the strength of schedule should be right around last seasons, so everyone can relax about that pesky RPI. I won’t keep you anymore. Here is what we are looking at:
- 11/11 – vs Marist, Rupp Arena
- 11/15 – vs Kansas, Madison Square Garden
- 11/19 – vs Penn State, @ Uncasville, CT
- 11/20 – vs Old Dominion/South Florida, @ Uncasville, CT
- 11/23 – vs Radford, Rupp Arena
- 11/26 – vs Portland, Rupp Arena
- 12/1 – vs St. Johns, Rupp Arena
- 12/3 – vs North Carolina, Rupp Arena
- 12/10 – @ Indiana, Assembly Hall
- 12/17 – vs Chattanooga, Rupp Arena
- 12/20 – vs Samford, Rupp Arena
- 12/22 – vs Loyola – MD, Rupp Arena
- 12/28 – vs Lamar, Rupp Arena
- 12/31 – vs Louisville, Rupp Arena
- 1/3 – vs Arkansas Little Rock, @ Freedom Hall
All I can say is that we will have a very good idea of where this team stands by December 4th, as that is a very tough St. John’s/UNC pairing and with the games being on a Thursday/Saturday, is very reminiscent of a NCAA Tournament schedule. Jonathan North will break the schedule down a little bit more this evening.
One player that may be at one of those games at Rupp Arena will be 2012 guard Archie Goodwin. Goodwin says that he will be taking a visit to Kentucky but he more than likely will be a late commitment in the spring. Still, it’s good to hear Kentucky being one of the first names he mentions:
I fully expect Kentucky to take as many as three big men in the 2012 class, assuming that the NBA stays with the current age limit, and Brandon Ashley is one of the big men Calipari is looking at. It seems confusing how much Cal is looking at Ashley because Robert Carter is rumored to commit to UK soon and Shabazz Muhammad, DaJuan Coleman, Mitch McGary, and even Devonta Pollard and Andre Drummond seem bigger targets right now. It’s a big man’s class. But as Brandon Ashley notes, Kentucky is still in the running:
For the few of you still worried about the 2012 recruiting class ….. STOP IT! For about the hundreth time, John Calipari has said that Kentucky “will be fine” and he offered up this tidbet about how the process is going:
“The way it’s going now, kids want to wait,” Calipari said. “I’m fine with that. I don’t know why. It might be NBA—who’s leaving, who’s staying. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. Obviously, I’d rather have guys sign early, so I know who I’m getting.
“I know who I like. The funny one right now is, people will tell kids what I’m thinking: ‘He thinks you’re the fourth-best guard or fifth-best guard.’ Do I? Then commit to us, and I’ll take you.”
Three Wildcats have been named to the Pre-Season All SEC team in a vote by league coaches. LB Danny Trevathan and OG Larry Warford were named to the first team, while Punter Ryan Tydlacka made the third team. You get find out more by going to the UKAA site.
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