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The Kentucky Wildcats will face the Virginia Tech Hokies in Rupp Arena next season.
This matchup will come on Dec. 16 as part of a one-year deal with the ACC member. The meeting will be the first between the two programs since 1996, when Kentucky defeated Virginia Tech 84-60 in the NCAA Tournament in Dallas.
The Wildcats own a 3-1 all-time edge over Virginia Tech. Kentucky has hosted the Hokies in Lexington twice before, splitting the two games, but next season’s matchup will be the first between the two schools in Rupp Arena.
Virginia Tech went 22-11 last season and reached the NCAA Tournament in Buzz Williams’ third season. The Hokies are expected to return six of their top eight leading scorers from that team.
Kentucky’s nonconference schedule for the 2017-18 season now has games slated vs Kansas (Nov. 14), Harvard (Dec. 2), Monmouth (Dec. 9), Virginia Tech (Dec. 16) and UCLA (Dec. 23). That doesn’t include the annual matchup with Louisville, which doesn’t have a date yet.