A day after learning that Kentucky will face St. John's and Rick Pitino as a new entry to the CBS Sports Classic, Big Blue Nation is getting another spicy addition to the 2025-26 basketball schedule.

Kentucky announced Friday that it will play host to Purude in an exhibition game on Oct. 24 at Rupp Arena. The Boilermakers are expected to be one of the top contenders for the national championship next season, giving the Cats a different look from the two exhibition games against lower-division teams they traditionally play.

The game will not count toward official records or statistics but should give both programs a good measuring stick heading into the new season.

It also gives UK an opportunity to improve the home schedule, albeit in an exhibition game. The lack of quality non-conference opponents at Rupp Arena in recent years has been a sticking point for many long-time fans and season-ticket holders.

Purdue will feature All-American guard Braden Smith, who was reportedly briefly considering the transfer portal and had been linked to UK. This past season, he became the second player in NCAA history (Ja Morant) to have at least 500 points, 300 assists, and 150 rebounds in a single season.

The Boilermakers are coached by Matt Painter, who is in his 21st season at the helm in West Lafayette, Ind. He has led Purdue to eight Sweet 16 appearances.

Second-year UK head coach Mark Pope will bring one of the nation's top transfer portal classes into the matchup to go along with two elite high school prospects and returning players Otega Oweh, Collin Chandler, Brandon Garrison, and Trent Noah.

Kentucky and Purdue have not played since the 1997 Great Eight event, an 89-75 win for the Wildcats in Chicago. UK owns a 6-2 record against the Boilermakers in the series.

A game time and television designation will be announced at a later date.