UK Men’s Basketball Begins Exhibition Season with Blue-White Game on Sunday
With all due respect to Big Blue Madness, the scrimmage fans saw last week to officially tip off the 2018-19 season was nothing but a show. Sunday, when fans watch the annual Blue-White Game, they’ll get to see the Wildcats in an intrasquad scrimmage that will more closely mirror what Big Blue Nation will see in the regular season.
The Wildcats will split up into two squads – Blue and White – and go head to head Sunday at 7 p.m. in Rupp Arena. The game will be televised live on the SEC Network with a 30-minute special on Kentucky’s foreign exhibition tour to the Bahamas following the scrimmage.
Sunday’s Blue-White Game will tip off the exhibition season for the Wildcats before their highly-anticipated regular-season opener vs. Duke on Nov. 6 in the State Farm Champions Classic in Indianapolis. Prior the opener, UK will also play Transylvania on Oct. 26 and Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Nov. 2 in its exhibition games.
Although UK fans have already gotten an extended glimpse at the 2018-19 squad in August during the Big Blue Bahamas foreign exhibition tour, the trip only served to whet the appetite of the Big Blue Nation.
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| Blue-White Game | ||
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Sun., Oct. 21 – 7 p.m. ET |
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TV: SEC Network |
The Wildcats cruised to four victories over professional competition with a balanced and deep attack of – yep, you guessed it – talented youth combined with a not-often-seen-around-here mix of returning veterans.
Preseason All-Southeastern Conference Second Team pick PJ Washington, UK’s leading returning scorer and rebounder, is back for his sophomore season alongside sophomore Quade Green, who made 41 3-pointers a season ago, and sophomore Nick Richards, who started all 37 games in 2017-18. Throw in the additions of preseason All-SEC First Team and two-time All-Pac-12 player Reid Travis – a graduate transfer from Stanford – and a healthy Jemarl Baker Jr., and UK already has a formidable lineup in “veterans” along.
But then there’s the talented youth. Kentucky’s freshman class is once again highly rated and showed it was possibly even underrated with a standout performance in the Bahamas. Guard Tyler Herro led the Wildcats in scoring with 17.3 points per game while Keldon Johnson pitched in with 13.3 points per game in the Bahamas.
Guard Immanuel Quickley dished out a team-high 18 assists with only two turnovers while guard Ashton Hagans proved to be a difference maker on the defensive end. Forward EJ Montgomery was limited by a back injury but showed flashes of what made him the highest-rated recruit in Kentucky’s 2018 signing class.
This is the 11th season the Blue-White Game will be held in Rupp Arena.
Tickets Still Available; Scholarships Available for Students
The last two Blue-White matchups have seen the largest attendances in the game’s history. Last year’s game saw 15,530 fans show up, just behind the record crowd of 16,089 in 2016.
UK hopes to top both of those this season.
Tickets are still available to purchase through Ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at 800.745.3000. The cost of the tickets will be $15 (lower-level sideline), $10 (lower-level corner and end court) and $5 (200 level). All public seating is reserved.
UK students may claim up to two free eRUPPtion Zone tickets for the Blue-White Game, while supplies last. Student tickets may be claimed in person at the Joe Craft Center ticket office with a valid UK student ID. Students interested in reserved seating may purchase through the public process explained above.
Students attending the game will also have an opportunity to win in-state tuition. For the sixth year in a row, head coach John Calipari will pay the 2019 spring semester in-state tuition for two lucky Kentucky students who attend the Blue-White Game.
Similar to the past three years, UK students will check into the Blue-White Game via the BBN Rewards app. Students who check in at the Blue-White Game with a fully completed profile, including their student ID number, will be eligible to win. Students are also encouraged to enable notifications on the app to receive news about exclusive experiences, coupons and other important updates.
The app, which is available for download on Apple and Android devices, allows UK students to earn a variety of rewards for attending various UK Athletics events. Students will accumulate points by checking in when they arrive at UK Athletics events using the “Events” button on the app. As students accumulate points, awards will automatically unlock. The winners will be randomly selected and announced at the completion of the game. They must be present to win. Prior points earned through BBN Rewards will not factor into this drawing. In the event of an out-of-state or graduate/professional student winner, the spring semester in-state undergraduate tuition amount will be applied.
Calipari started the scholarship tradition at UK during the 2013-14 season, but previously did it during his days at UMass.
Important Game-Day Changes
Fans attending Sunday are encouraged to review the significant game-day changes during the next phase of Rupp Arena renovations, which were originally announced when Kentucky agreed to a new lease in December 2016.
The ongoing construction will impact parking and entryways into Rupp Arena this season. Fans are highly encouraged to review changes closely and arrive early to future games. Fans can review and monitor all game-day changes at UKathletics.com/Gameday.
Among the changes that will affect fans is to the Manchester parking lot. Construction along the back of Rupp Arena, near the Jefferson Street bridge, will eliminate a majority of parking in the Manchester Street lot. This will cause a number of spaces in the High Street lot and the Langley Garage to now be utilized for game-day operations.
Due to reduced parking in the High Street lots, fans are encouraged to use alternative game-day parking options that are listed below. UK Athletics will continue to work diligently with Rupp Arena and Lexington parking officials to maximize the parking areas that are available on game day.
The Transit Center Parking Garage (150 E. Vine St.), the Helix Parking Garage (15-160 W. Main St.) and Courthouse Garage (105 Barr St.) have been made available for the 2018-19 season in addition to the Victorian Square Parking Garage (350 W. Short St.) from prior seasons. Other Lexington parking garages will be an option for fans. Attached is a map that details additional parking space for fans for the 2018-19 season.
Entry into Rupp Arena will also be impacted as the student and media entrances will be relocated to the High Street entrance for the 2018-19 season. As a result, fans are encouraged to consider entering on the north side of Rupp Arena, facing the Lexington Center Shops and Triangle Park. Fans are also encouraged to arrive as early as possible and allow extra time for parking and entry, particularly for early season games as everyone adjusts to changes for this year.
