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Published Apr 27, 2020
UK unveils first non-conference games on 2020-21 hoops slate
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Jeff Drummond  •  CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor
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@JDrumUK

Kentucky has revealed the first six non-conference dates on its 2020-21 men's basketball schedule.

The Wildcats have confirmed dates against Kansas, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Cleveland State, Michigan, and UCLA. Four games will be played as part of UK's typical made-for-TV, neutral-site events, while two will bring opponents to Rupp Arena.

The slate includes:

* Kansas – Nov. 10 | United Center (Chicago) | Champions Classic

* Georgia State -- Nov. 20 | Rupp Arena

* Georgia Tech -- Nov. 27 | State Farm Arena (Atlanta) | Holiday Hoopsgiving

* Cleveland State --Nov. 30 | Rupp Arena

* Michigan -- Dec. 6 | The O2 Arena (London) | Basketball Hall of Fame London Showcase

* UCLA -- Dec. 19 | TBA | CBS Sports Classic

For the third year in a row, the Champions Classic will tip off the college basketball season as "the first four." Kentucky will face Kansas, while Duke will square off with Michigan State at the United Center in Chicago.

In the future matchups of the Champions Classic, the Wildcats will play Duke on Nov. 9, 2021, back in Madison Square Garden and Michigan State on Nov. 8, 2022, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Kentucky will play host to Georgia State on Nov. 20 in one of two confirmed nonconference home games so far. Georgia State went 19-13 last season. The Wildcats own a 2-0 advantage in the series.

The Cats will travel to Atlanta to complete a two-game series with Georgia Tech on Nov. 27. After defeating the Yellow Jackets 67-53 last season in Rupp Arena, Kentucky will play Georgia Tech at State Farm Arena in Atlanta as a part of the Holiday Hoopsgiving.

Cleveland State, a familiar opponent in the John Calipari era, will visit Rupp Arena on Nov. 30. UK has played CSU three times in school history, all wins during Calipari’s 11-year tenure. The last matchup with the Vikings was in November 2016, a 101-70 Kentucky rout.

The Cats will travel to London, England, to play Michigan on Dec. 6 in the Basketball Hall of Fame London Showcase, a fundraiser for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. UK will face the Wolverines in three consecutive seasons as part of a new deal that will send the Cats to Ann Arbor, Mich., in 2021, and bring Michigan to Lexington in 2022.

Kentucky will participate in the CBS Sports Classic for a seventh consecutive season when it faces UCLA on Dec. 19. A venue for the game between programs with a combined 19 NCAA championships has yet to be announced.

In the future matchups of the CBS Sports Classic, UK will match up with North Carolina on Dec. 18, 2021, and Ohio State on Dec. 17, 2022. Both locations are to be determined.

Other non-conference matchups for the upcoming season will include the annual rivalry game vs. Louisville and the annual SEC/Big 12 Challenge. A date has not been finalized for the former and an opponent has not been determined for the latter.

Additional opponents, dates, and times -- including the SEC schedule -- will be announced at a later date.

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