Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: Breaking down the out of conference schedule

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EASTERN KENTUCKY (Rupp Arena, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015)

UK will take on EKU for the second consecutive season in Rupp Arena on Dec. 9. The Wildcats are 11-0 all-time against the Colonels with all but one meeting coming in Lexington. UK claimed an 82-49 victory a season ago. Kentucky’s Marcus Lee scored a season-high 10 points in the victory to help lead the way for the Cats.

Eastern Kentucky went 21-12 this past season and made its third straight appearance in a postseason tournament. Eastern finished first in the Ohio Valley Conference East Division and the Colonels have finished in the top three in the conference each of the last three seasons. First-year Eastern Kentucky head coach Dan McHale is a Kentucky graduate, and the former men’s basketball manager will face his alma matter for the first time this season. The Colonels have 10 returning players from its 2014-15 roster.

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ARIZONA STATE (Rupp Arena, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015)

Kentucky is set to host Arizona State under the direction of first-year head coach Bobby Hurley on Dec. 12 in Rupp Arena. The Wildcats own an all-time record of 3-0 against the Sun Devils with the last meeting coming in 2003 in Maui, Hawaii. The teams have met just once before in Lexington in a 94-68 win during the 1991-92 season.

Hurley takes over the Sun Devils program after leading Buffalo to its first-ever Mid-American Conference title and NCAA Tournament berth. His 42 wins at Buffalo were the most ever for a head coach through their first two seasons, including a record-tying 23 wins in 2014-15. Hurley’s Bulls lost to the Wildcats in Rupp Arena, 71-52, in 2014-15. Arizona State earned an 18-16 overall record a season ago.

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OHIO STATE (Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y., Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015)

Ohio State and Kentucky will meet in the second annual CBS Sports Classic in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Dec. 19. UK owns an 11-8 all-time mark against the Buckeyes with the last meeting coming in 2011 during the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats knocked off the No. 1 seeded-Buckeyes in that meeting to advance to its second consecutive Elite Eight and eventually its first Final Four under Calipari.

The Buckeyes were 24-11 overall in 2014-15 before falling to No. 1 seed Arizona in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Ohio State lost its top two returning scorers from a season ago, but head coach Thad Matta is a proven winner who has led the Buckeyes to nine NCAA Tournament berths and an NIT championship as he enters his 12th year as head coach of the program.

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LOUISVILLE (Rupp Arena, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2015)

The Wildcats will host instate rival Louisville on Dec. 26 in Rupp Arena. UK is 33-15 all-time against the Cardinals and has won seven of the last eight meetings in the series, including two wins in the NCAA Tournament. Kentucky and Louisville met for the first time as top-five ranked teams and unbeatens in 2014-15 and UK prevailed in the Yum! Center by a 58-50 score. Ulis enjoyed the best game of his young career with a career-high 14 points and two assists.

Louisville went 27-9 a season ago and advanced to the Elite Eight before falling to Michigan State. Rick Pitino’s top four leading scorers will not be among roster members in 2015-16 but reinforcements are on the way with a highly touted recruiting class. Pitino will enter his 16th year with the Cardinals’ program and has led them to 12 NCAA Tournaments, including the 2013 NCAA title.

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KANSAS (Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kan., Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016)
The two winningest schools in NCAA Division I history will meet during the 2015-16 season when Kentucky plays Kansas as part of the Big 12/SEC Challenge onJan. 30. The Wildcats will visit Lawrence, Kan., for their first trip to Allen Fieldhouse since 2006 and just their second since the 1989-1990 season. Kentucky is 22-6 all-time against the Jayhawks, which includes last season’s 72-40 win at the Champions Classic in Indianapolis. Returning Wildcats Hawkins, Alex Poythress, Ulis and Derek Willis combined for 17 points, 13 rebounds, six blocks and three steals in that victory.

The Jayhawks were 27-9 overall in 2014-15 and advanced to their 26th consecutive NCAA Tournament after winning their 12th consecutive Big 12 title under 13th-year head coach Bill Self. Leading scorer Perry Ellis (13.8) will pace the returning players in 2015-16.