UK looks to beat a top-2 team on the road for the first time EVER this Saturday

This Saturday’s matchup is a rarity for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Not only will they be playing the No. 2 team in the country, but they’ll be playing them on the road. While UK usually plays very highly ranked teams each year in non-conference events such as the Champions Classic and SEC/Big 12 Challenge, they rarely face them on the opponent’s home floor.

In fact, this year, UK gets a special treat: They get to play top-10 teams on the road on back-to-back Saturdays with a trip to Allen Fieldhouse also coming up.

The stats at all we UK sports junkies’ beloved website bigbluehistory.net show UK at 27-39 against top-3 teams. Of those games, the last ones to be played on the road were UK at No. 1 Florida in 2014 (loss), Kentucky at No. 1 North Carolina in 2008 (loss), Kentucky at No. 1 Tennessee in 2008 (loss). The last road win over a top-3 team was UK at No. 3 Florida in 2003.

So a lot is at stake this weekend. UK very, very rarely plays and beats a top-3 school on the road. Beating top-5 or top-3 teams is super tough, but this weekend’s is special, because the Auburn Tigers are ranked No. 2. The Kentucky Wildcats have NEVER beaten a No. 1 or No. 2 team on the road before. Never. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it but apparently, it’s true.

UK hasn’t won on The Plains since the 2018 82-80 shootout in which they almost blew a 17-point lead but held on with some clutch free throws and a brick at the buzzer by Auburn. This game is a lot bigger than most would think—this could be one of the biggest wins in school history due to the gem it would be: the first win over No. 1 or No. 2 on the road.

Go Big Blue!