Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: Breaking down the out of conference schedule

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A complete team-by-team breakdown of UK’s non-conference foes is below:

ALBANY (Rupp Arena, Friday, Nov. 13, 2015)

Kentucky and Albany will meet for the first time in program history on Nov. 13, 2015 in Rupp Arena in the season-opening game. Albany is coming off its third consecutive American East Championship and NCAA Tournament berth. The Great Danes were a No. 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament after earning an automatic bid on a game-winning shot in the league’s championship game. This game will be a part of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Classic.

The Great Danes were 24-9 overall in 2014-15 under the direction of Will Brown. Brown has guided Albany to five NCAA Tournament berths in his 14 years as head coach. The No. 14 seed was the highest in the five tournament berths under Brown. The 2015 American East Coach of the Year owns the most league championships of any American East coach and is 5-0 in conference tournament championship games. The Great Danes will return two of their top three scorers from last season in Peter Hooley (13.7) and Evan Singletary (13.0).

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NJIT (Rupp Arena, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015)

NJIT will mark the second first-time opponent for the Wildcats to open the season when the Highlanders visit Rupp Arena on Nov. 14. NJIT is coming off a 21-12 overall record in 2014-15, which included an upset at No. 17 Michigan. The Highlanders participated in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament and advanced to the semifinals before falling to Northern Arizona, 68-61. This game will also be a part of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Classic.

The Highlanders are coached by Jim Engles, who has been with the program since 2008-09 and helped the school to the Great West Conference championship in 2013. Damon Lynn and Tim Coleman highlight the returning players. Lynn was the team’s leading scorer at 17.5 points per game, while Coleman was one of four Highlanders to average double-figure scoring in 2014-15.

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DUKE (United Center, Chicago, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015)

Kentucky will take on the reigning national champions in Duke at the Champions Classic in the United Center in Chicago on Nov. 17. It will mark the 21st meeting between the two bluebloods and the first since a neutral-site meeting during the 2012-13 season in Atlanta. The Wildcats own an 11-9 overall record in the series, but the Blue Devils have won each of the previous three meetings.

Duke is coached by Mike Krzyzewski, who has garnered more than 1,000 career wins and four national titles. The Blue Devils will be paced by returning players Grayson Allen, Amile Jefferson and Matt Jones, who all played more than 20 minutes in the national title game.

Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

WRIGHT STATE (Rupp Arena, Friday, Nov. 20, 2015)

The Wildcats will take on Wright State in Rupp Arena on Nov. 20. It will mark the fourth game in the series and the first since 1999. Kentucky is 3-0 all-time in the series with two of the three previous meetings taking place in Lexington.

The Raiders are coming off an 11-20 overall season under the direction of sixth-year head coach Billy Donlon. Donlon was named the Horizon League Coach of the Year in 2013 after the Raiders were picked to finish last, took the third seed in the league tournament and finished the season at 23-13, tying the school record for Division I wins and advancing to the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational. Wright State returns its leading scorer in senior forward J.T. Yoho, who averaged 15.6 points and 6.4 rebounds as a junior.

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