Lots of Kentucky fans are sharing opinions on the Wildcats' recently announced 2019-2020 non-conference basketball schedule, and they span a wide range on the spectrum.
Here are takes from five Cats Illustrated contributors.
Warren Taylor: Kentucky's pre-SEC slate is light on marquee opponents at home--with the exception of a potential top 5 showdown against eternal rival Louisville. The lack of heavyweight matchups at Rupp Arena is the direct result of Coach Cal's preference to avoid home and home series. As a result, look for more light attendance numbers at home games during November and December.
With that said, Kentucky has a challenging schedule lined up. In addition to Louisville, the Cats play Michigan State, Ohio State, and Texas Tech, all of which are top 15 caliber squads. Meaning Kentucky will be well prepared for another competitive year in conference play.
David Sisk: I'm going to tread lightly here, because I think Kentucky's no-conference schedule last season was perfect for the team. After getting blown out by Duke in the first game, they basically had a month of boot camp before getting Seton Hall, North Carolina, and Louisville late in December. The team improved and was playing its best ball by March. With the young roster that they normally have, I can't be critical of that.
This season, Michigan State may be the best team in the country. No matter what happens on November 5, they will get five to six weeks on Basketball 101. Even though that might be boring to the fan base, I guarantee the team will look a lot better in late December than they did in early November. They get Georgia Tech at home followed by Utah and Ohio State in Las Vegas, and then Louisville. Those first two will gauge the improvements, the last two will let them know exactly where they are at. There is also an SEC/Big 12 Challenge on January 25. I wouldn't be surprised if it is Texas Tech. Nevertheless, with the SEC gauntlet, we will see our share of exciting games.
I miss the home and homes and the Indiana series just like anyone else. But I fully trust that John Calipari knows exactly how he needs to schedule with his youthful teams.
Justin Rowland: I don't think this year's non-conference degree of difficulty is much worse than it is most years under John Calipari but when you don't have the sexier games against Kansas, North Carolina or Duke on the schedule then that makes it a little tougher to get excited about. No question, I think the season ticket holders are taking one on the chin this year. Tough luck with the home slate in the non-conference, although a stronger SEC will make for a more intriguing home lineup during league play than in most previous years. I'm happy to see Kentucky taking on Texas Tech instead of Kansas, actually, just to mix things up a little bit.
When you're talking about games against TTU, Ohio State, Louisville, and Michigan State, it's tough to call that easy, even if it doesn't have some of the appeal of the more traditional blue blood games.
Jeff Drummond: The first thing that jumps out at you when glancing at the UK non-conference schedule for 2019-20 is no Duke, no North Carolina, no Kansas, no UCLA, no Indiana. Basically, none of the traditional blueblood programs are anywhere to be found. That is a bit disappointing. I can't remember the last time the Cats went into a season with only two marquee games (Michigan State and Louisville) on the slate.
That being said, there are still a number of games that should provide a solid SOS when the NCAA Tournament selection committee looks at UK's resume. Georgia Tech is a decent addition to the schedule that brings the ACC to Rupp Arena, but I'm not sure the Yellow Jackets move the needle at all with the fan base. The Big12/SEC Challenge matchup with Texas Tech is intriguing after the Red Raiders made a run to the national championship game last year, but I think most fans would have preferred another clash with the Jayhawks.
Thank goodness the SEC is strong right now. I think that's a big part of the rationale behind this schedule. The Cats don't want to bite off more than they can chew now that the league is starting to shine.
Travis Graf: Kentucky’s out of conference basketball schedule left a lot to be desired when it comes to “attractive” opponents, especially home opponents. It’s not a terrible slate, but it’s definitely not the most appealing. The Cats play four preseason top 25 teams (assuming they play Texas Tech or Kansas in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge), but only one of those (Louisville) is a home game.
I think part of Cal’s philosophy is to play neutral site games to prepare for tournament games, but it really affects season ticket holders in a negative way.
