LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Kentucky-Kansas men’s basketball game was such a hit on ESPN last season that the network wants to do it again.
That’s one takeaway from the Thursday morning announcement that the defending national champion Jayhawks will visit Rupp Arena to play Kentucky on Jan. 28, 2023, the headline matchup from the 10-game SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Last season, Kentucky went to Phog Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence and dominated Kansas, 80-62, in a game that wasn’t that close. The Wildcats led by 21 points at halftime and made 50.8% of their field goal attempts.
Of course, the Jayhawks rallied from that beatdown to win a share of the Big 12 regular-season title before winning the Big 12 Tournament as well as the 2022 NCAA title. They finished 34-6.
Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com slotted Kentucky No. 4 and Kansas No. 8 in his latest preseason rankings for next season.
Joe Lunardi of ESPN.com made Kentucky a No. 1 seed and Kansas a No. 2 seed in his updated NCAA Tournament bracket earlier this week.
The Jayhawks lose three of their top players: all-American Ochai Agbaji, center David McCormack and wing Christian Braun.
They will be led by Jalen Wilson, Dajuan Harris and Joseph Yusefu. According to 247Sports, Kansas coach Bill Self signed the nation’s fourth-best recruiting class, led by forward Gradey Dick, a five-star prospect.
Kentucky, which finished 26-8 after it’s jarring first-round loss to Saint Peter’s in the NCAA Tournament, will be led by Oscar Tshiebwe, the unanimous national player of the year. Guard Sahvir Wheeler as well as frontcourt players Damion Collins and Lance Ware also return. Guard C.J. Fredrick is projected as a three-point threat after missing last season with an injury.
Kentucky’s recruiting class is ranked No. 17 by 247 Sports. John Calipari recruited two five-star prospects — Cason Wallace and Chris Livingston — as well as freshman Adou Thiero and Antonio Reeves, a transfer from Illinois State.
Here are the complete SEC/Big 12 Challenge pairings:
- Alabama at Oklahoma
- Arkansas at Baylor
- Auburn at West Virginia
- Florida at Kansas State
- Kansas at Kentucky
- Texas Tech at LSU
- Ole Miss at Oklahoma State
- TCU at Mississippi State
- Iowa State at Missouri
- Texas at Tennessee
Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Georgia will not participate because the SEC has 14 programs and the Big 12 has 10.
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