Are buy games a bad idea?
Mark Pope’s first full season at the helm will start with a brand-new event at Rupp Arena — and a reminder that even “buy games” can get tricky if you’re not locked in.
On Monday, Kentucky men’s basketball announced its complete 2025-26 schedule, headlined by the inaugural BBN United Tipoff Classic. The Wildcats will open the year with three home games in the event: Nicholls State (Nov. 4), Valparaiso (Nov. 7) and Eastern Illinois (Nov. 14). It will mark the program’s first-ever meetings with Nicholls and Eastern Illinois, and just the third all-time matchup with Valpo.
On paper, these are the kinds of matchups big-time programs expect to win comfortably. They’re called “buy games” for a reason — the visiting team gets a check, the home team gets an expected W, and everybody moves on. But that’s the script. In college basketball, scripts get flipped every year, and Kentucky has seen enough early-season scares to know that a sluggish November night can cost you momentum before the season really starts.
That’s especially true with the gauntlet Pope’s squad will face after the Tipoff Classic. The nonconference slate includes three massive neutral-site games: Michigan State in the Champions Classic (Nov. 18), Gonzaga in Nashville (Dec. 5) and St. John’s in the CBS Sports Classic (Dec. 20). From there, SEC play brings Florida twice — yes, the defending national champions — along with a conference run stacked with seven Sweet 16 teams and five Elite Eight programs from last season.
In total, Kentucky will face 21 opponents who danced in the NCAA Tournament a year ago. That’s a postseason résumé waiting to be built, but only if the Cats handle business in events like the BBN United Tipoff Classic.
The good news? Pope’s team will have Rupp behind them, plenty of fresh legs, and an opportunity to sharpen their chemistry before the schedule turns from warm-up to white-knuckle. The bad news? In November, under the bright lights of a new era, there’s no such thing as a throwaway game.
The season tips off Nov. 4. And with Pope’s fast-paced style and an unforgiving schedule ahead, every possession — even against a first-time opponent — matters.