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UPDATE
Kentucky has now confirmed this matchup with Monmouth. Head coach John Calipari announced on TimeSet that his Wildcats will face Monmouth on Dec. 9 at Madison Square Garden in New York in the inaugural Citi Double Cash Classic. UK also announced it will host Monmouth at Rupp Arena the following season (2018).
Kentucky is adding to next season’s non-conference schedule, as the Wildcats will play Monmouth at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 9, according to Joshua Newman.
A Monmouth-Kentucky matchup at MSG on Dec. 9, as is being reported this AM, is not official just yet, I am told. Heading there, though.
— Josh Newman (@Joshua_Newman) May 3, 2017
Monmouth has put together a couple of great seasons in recent years, including last season went they went 27-7 and won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season title. They missed out on the NCAA Tournament after failing to win the conference tournament.
So far, we know that Kentucky will play Louisville, Kansas (Champions Classic), UCLA (CBS Sports Classic), Harvard and now Monmouth in non-conference play next season. It’s also been reported that Kentucky’s SEC-Big 12 Challenge opponent will be West Virginia.
You may ask, “why would Kentucky want to play a small school that seems to be below its level of competition in one of the most historic arenas in existence?” Well, it’s probably about the recruiting ties.
Why would Kentucky play Monmouth in MSG?
— Chris Fisher (@ChrisFisher247) May 3, 2017
Hamidou Diallo
Nick Richards
Mo Bamba
Moses Brown
Louis King
Naz Reid
Scottie Lewis
Bryan Antoine
All those guys are from the New York/New Jersey area, so not only is it a homecoming for some of next year’s Cats, but it’s also a chance for recruits to see Cal and Kentucky close to home.