John Calipari teases "big-time announcement" at open practice
If getting a sneak peek of the Kentucky Basketball team before the Bahamas trip wasn’t exciting enough, John Calipari gave us another reason to tune in to tomorrow night’s open practice and flood relief telethon. Calipari told reporters today that he’s going to share some “big-time” news with the fans in the stands at Rupp Arena tomorrow night.
“We’re going to have a really big-time announcement at the arena. So, if you want to be the first to hear it, it’s going to be — you’re going to be excited. Big-time announcement.”
While history has taught us not to set our expectations too high in these situations, my mind immediately went to Kentucky’s non-conference schedule. For the last few weeks, Calipari has teased a major addition to the non-conference slate, which already includes Michigan, Michigan State, UCLA, Louisville, and Kansas. On July 22, he tweeted that he’s still “seeing what other opportunities are available” for the schedule and that when all is said and done, it will be one of the top five in the country. On Thursday, Cal went a step further, teasing a “really interesting scheduling opportunity”:
Who could it be? Sources tell KSR that Kentucky reached out to North Carolina about scheduling a home-and-home series, and although the Tar Heels were intrigued, they weren’t certain they could fit Kentucky in this season. Gonzaga is a name gaining steam. The Bulldogs have yet to announce their non-conference schedule and last year, Calipari reached out to Mark Few about putting together a game in case of COVID cancellations.
A home-and-home, or even a neutral site matchup, vs. the ‘Zags would be amazing. Not only are the Bulldogs also a preseason top-three squad, we’d get to see Drew Timme vs. Oscar Tshiebwe, a pairing that almost blew up the internet in April. Whatever it is, we’ll be watching live, either in person or on LEX18.com.
Kentucky’s 2022-23 Non-Conference Schedule
While we wait to see what tomorrow’s big announcement is, here is Kentucky’s 2022-23 non-conference schedule as we know it.
- TBA: Duquesne | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
- Nov. 15 (Tue.): Michigan State (Champions Classic) | Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
- Nov. 18 (Fri.): North Florida | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
- Nov. 29 (Tue.): Bellarmine | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
- Dec. 4 (Sun.): Michigan (Basketball Hall of Fame London Showcase) | The O2 Arena, London, England
- Dec. 17 (Sat.): UCLA (CBS Sports Classic) | Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
- Dec. 31 (Sat.): Louisville | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
- Jan. 28 (Sat.): Kansas (Big 12/SEC Challenge) | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
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