Kentucky announces non-conference schedule: Why Michigan game was canceled

The 2021-22 Kentucky Wildcats non-conference basketball schedule has been released. This will be a full season’s worth of games, as compared to the 25, and seven non-conference games that were played last season due to to a COVID-19-impacted season.

Kentucky will host two exhibition games. The first, a matchup with Kentucky Wesleyan on Oct. 29 and then a matchup against Miles College on Nov. 5.

The regular season will kick off November 9 against Duke in Madison Square Garden for the final regular-season showdown vs. Coach K in his career.

Matchups against Robert Morris (Nov. 12), Mount St. Mary's (Nov. 16) and Ohio (Nov. 19) in the Kentucky Classic follow, along with Rupp Arena matchups against Albany (Nov. 22), North Florida (Nov. 26) and Central Michigan (Nov. 29).

The Unity Series matchup against Southern is scheduled for Dec. 7.

Notre Dame is on the schedule for the second straight season, although this one will be in South Bend on Dec. 11.

Ohio State is the Wildcats’ opponent in the CBS Sports Classic in Las Vegas on December 18. The two teams met in 2019 for the same event in Vegas.

Louisville, as always, is on the slate for Kentucky. This will be in Lexington on Dec. 22.

And High Point with Tubby Smith as head coach will visit Rupp Arena on Dec. 31.

Kansas is the Big 12 opponent for Kentucky as the Wildcats will travel to Lawrence for the first time since 2016 for a showdown with the Jayhawks. That game is scheduled for Jan. 29.

SEC home opponents include Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Florida, Tennessee, Missouri, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, and Georgia.

SEC road opponents include Alabama, Auburn, Florida, LSU, South Carolina, Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Vanderbilt.

You may be asking what happened to the planned road game vs. the Michigan Wolverines on Dec. 4. Well, according to a statement from Kentucky, COVID-19 is the cause for nixing the game.

“Due to scheduling challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the previously scheduled Kentucky men’s basketball game at Michigan will not take place this season,” UK said in a statement. “We are in conversations with Michigan to preserve the series at a future date.”

Lies.

The real reason?

So a big shoutout to John Calipari for making sure Kentucky football in the SEC Championship Game gets all the focus on the first Saturday of December.

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