Tonight is the Kentucky Wildcats' exhibition opener against the Pikeville College Bears, an NAIA school from Eastern Kentucky. Pikeville returns to Rupp Arena after playing the 'Cats for the last time in 2007-08 when Billy Gillispie was the head coach, and the result was a predictable 99-64 Wildcat victory. Game particulars as follows:
| Pikeville @ Kentucky | |
|---|---|
| Game Notes |
Kentucky Game Notes 
|
| Date & Time | Mon., Nov. 1, 7:00 p.m. ET |
| Coverage | TV: FS South/BBSN Radio: BBSN GameTracker Online Audio Text Updates |
| Location | Rupp Arena Lexington, Ky. |
Tonight's game will be the first one in which we will see almost all the Wildcats (minus Enes Kanter, of course) playing together. Pikeville is not the kind of competition against which we can expect to measure too much, but they will be scrappy and play with the feeling that they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I know the circumstances are different, but every time we play one of these little teams, I think of Gardner-Webb, who ironically defeated UK in the same year Pikeville graced Rupp Arena. But aside from a moment of embarrassed remembrance, I am confident this will not be a similar type of game.
What I'll be looking for tonight are:
- Good rebounding;
- Good passing;
- Good 3-point defense -- Pikeville is very good from the perimeter.
- Low turnovers.
If all those things come to pass, I have confidence that UK will take care of business in a flash. Yes, we have seen many of the players against similar during the summer in Canada, but today it's a little different, especially facing another team from Kentucky, where basketball means so much.
So enjoy the game. As tough as Mondays are for most of us, coming home to a ball game really helps smooth out the rough edges from the day.
Go, 'Cats!