Kentucky to play North Carolina in CBS Sports Classic
It will be Kentucky vs. North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic, scheduled for December 16 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Tipping off at 5:30 p.m. ET, the battle between the Wildcats and Tar Heels will serve as the event headliner, with UCLA vs. Ohio State opening the doubleheader at 3 p.m. ET.
As always, the premier event will be broadcast on CBS while also being available on Paramount+.
North Carolina leads the all-time series with Kentucky 25-17, though the Wildcats are up 7-4 since John Calipari took over back in 2009. As for the CBS Sports Classic series, UK leads UNC 3-1 since 2016.
It will be the first year the high-profile event will take place at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, the seventh different venue overall. Across nine years, T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (2016, 2019, 2021) and the United Center in Chicago (2014, 2018) have hosted multiple times, while Barclays Center in Brooklyn (2015), Smoothie King Center in New Orleans (2017), Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland (2020) and Madison Square Garden in New York City (2022) have also had stops.
CBS Sports Classic info
The CBS Sports Classic annually brings together four of the nation’s most successful college basketball programs, combining for 26 total national championships. UCLA (11), Kentucky (8) and North Carolina (6) rank first, second and third, respectively, in NCAA history. All four programs also rank in the top six all-time in Final Four berths, combining for 66 appearances (North Carolina, 21; UCLA, 18; Kentucky, 17; Ohio State, 10).
Interested in attending? Fans will have the opportunity to purchase official fan travel packages for the CBS Sports Classic, which will include game tickets, hotel accommodations in downtown Atlanta and in-arena hospitality at State Farm Arena. Fan travel packages are set to go on sale on August 16, allowing fans exclusive early access to secure their seats for the event ahead of the launch of public ticket sales later in the month. Tickets for the general public will go on sale on August 24.
Fans interested in attending the event can register to receive direct email alerts regarding ticket news and other event at www.cbssportsclassic.com/tickets. Fans who register for these ticket alerts will be eligible for an exclusive presale on August 23.
Kentucky Basketball’s Non-Conference Schedule
The non-conference schedule is starting to come together nicely. Last week, we found out about two new opponents, New Mexico State and Illinois State, along with the date of the Louisville game. Then today, Marshall was reported as an addition, as well.
- Nov. 6: vs. New Mexico State | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
- Nov. 14: vs. Kansas | Champions Classic | United Center, Chicago, IL
- Nov. 20: vs. St. Joe’s | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
- TBA: vs. Stonehill | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
- TBA: vs. Texas A&M University-Commerce | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
- Nov. 24: vs. Marshall | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
- Nov. 28: vs. Miami | ACC/SEC Challenge | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
- Dec. 2: vs. UNC Wilmington | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
- Dec. 16: vs. North Carolina | CBS Sports Classic | State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
- Dec. 21 at Louisville | KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, KY
- Dec. 29 vs. Illinois State | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
- TBA: vs. Gonzaga | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY
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