The Kentucky men's basketball team is looking for a bounce-back season after a 22-12 campaign that saw them finish behind both Alabama and Texas A&M in the SEC and bounced in the second-round of the NCAA Tournament.
They'll need to do that while replacing Oscar Tshiebwe, last year's leading scorer and former National Player of the Year, along with double-digit scorer Jacob Toppin and starters Cason Wallace and Chris Livingston, both of whom were taken in the NBA Draft.
Luckily, they're bringing in the No. 1 ranked recruiting class in the country, headlined by D.J. Wagner, Aaron Bradshaw and Justin Edwards, all of whom were ranked among the top-10 prospects in this class. The incoming group also includes transfer big man Tre Mitchell — who averaged 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game for West Virginia last season — and four other nationally-ranked prospects.
The Kentucky women's team will also be debuting a transformed roster this season after losing five players from their top-eight in minutes played last season, including leading scorer Robyn Benton. Several key transfers, incoming freshman guard Jordy Griggs and the return of point guard Maddie Scherr will hopefully help them improve on last season's 12-19 record (2-14 in the SEC) and get back to the NCAA Tournament. Last season was just the third time they've missed the tournament in the last 14 years.
As usual, both the Kentucky men's and women's teams will kick their seasons off at the Big Blue Madness event.
When is Big Blue Madness for Kentucky MBB and WBB and how can I get a ticket?
Big Blue Madness will be held Oct. 13 at 7:00 p.m. ET at Rupp Arena in Lexington. Tickets are free but you do need to actually reserve a ticket through Ticketmaster, or UKStudentTix.com if you're a student.
