Bellarmine schedules several top opponents including UK, Louisville, Duke and UCLA

In the 2021-2022 season, the Bellarmine Knights won the ASUN Tournament but were still denied a post season opportunity due to outdated and silly NCAA rules.

In a further effort to prove that they belong with the big dogs, the Knights have added a murderers’ row of opponents to their 2022-2023 slate.

Bellarmine will take on Louisville, Duke, UCLA, Kentucky, and potentially Indiana next season. Kentucky reached out to Bellarmine as a potential replacement for Louisville’s canceled game this season, but the schedule did not work out. In that conversation, though, there was an agreement to schedule a game for the following season.

The Knights went 20-13 int he 2021-2022 season, finishing second in the regular season in the ASUN. After a strong run in the tournament, this Knights program believes they belong in the NCAA Tournament. And after being left out for technical reason this year, they intend to prove their worth in the upcoming year.

“There is an agreement between Coach Calipari and myself,” Bellarmine coach Scott Davenport said this week. “We do not have a contract yet, but we will play this coming year.

“And we will play the University of Louisville. We are waiting on a date, we’ve got some shuffling of dates with UCLA in Pauley Pavilion, and we are contracted at Duke on November 21, a Tuesday.”

With out-of-conference schedule often playing a major role in NCAA Tournament selection, this could be a strong move for the Knights program. And if they just happen to pick up a win or two in these games, that could propel them to another level of mid-major status.

Stay tuned to A Sea of Blue for updates to Kentucky’s schedule, including the addition of the game against the Bellarmine Knights.