Kentucky Basketball: Wildcats to host Kansas Jayhawks in 2019 Big 12-SEC Challenge

The Kentucky Wildcats and Kansas Jayhawks will face off once again.

This time, it will be in the Big 12 - SEC Challenge, according to ESPN reporter Jeff Goodman.

Kansas is coming off a 31-8 season in which they advanced to the Final Four before losing to eventual-champion Villanova. The Jayhawks are projected as the preseason No. 1 or 2 team in many of the early top-25 projections for the 2018-19 season.

Like UK, they’re still awaiting on NBA decisions that could affect their standing next season. UK is also projected in the top five of most preseason polls. Kansas is still waiting to see what Udoka Azubuike does, while UK is waiting on Wenyen Gabriel, PJ Washington and Jarred Vanderbilt.

Kansas has lost its entire backcourt after Malik Newman and Lagerald Vick both decided to turn pro while Devonte Graham and Svi Mykhailiuk graduated.

However, Kansas adds five-star guards Devon Dotson and Quentin Grimes, along with transfers Charlie Moore, Dedric Lawson and KJ Lawson. Silvio De Sousa also returns for his sophomore season after a strong finished as a mid-year enrollee last season.

The Wildcats are in a bit of a slump against the Jayhawks, losing three straight, including a narrow loss in the Champions Classic last season.

Here’s a look back at the last time UK beat Kansas, which was in the 2014 Champions Classic:

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