Who would you like to see Kentucky schedule some out of conference games against, perhaps a home and away series or two?
I miss the Indiana rivalry, but if it's over because Indiana insists on playing in their campus arena where the court was stormed during UK's last visit, so be it.
I'd like to see UK schedule, play and beat the handful of Division I teams that have all time winning records against Kentucky.
Out of that group, each of these would make for a good home and away series:
Arizona (UK is 2-3 all time against the other Wildcats; playing in that high altitude would be a good test for any visiting team; it would be a great trip for fans, too)
UConn (would actually take a couple of series, as UK is 1-4 all time against UConn)
Georgetown (UK is 0-2 all time, Washington would be a great trip for UK fans, and revenge for the bizarre blown lead in the 1984 Final Four is long overdue)
Memphis (UK is 0-1 all time; the Calipari connection would insure a lot of media attention, and the trip to a hostile arena in Memphis would be good preparation for a young UK roster before conference play)
Southern Cal (like UConn, would take a couple of series, as UK is 0-3 all time against USC)
The following teams could be scheduled for one or two trips to Rupp with no return trip:
UAB (2-3; both Gillispie and Tubby managed to lose to them...and also Joe B. Hall in the 1981 tournament, with Louisville looming on the horizon)
Gardner-Webb (0-1; there's no reason to let that stand; beating them would help purge any remaining stench from the Gillispie years, including from the recordbook)
Middle Tennessee (0-1, another NCAA pre-Louisville meltdown; there's no reason UK should have a losing record to any team from Tennessee)
San Diego (0-1; another Gillispie taint to purge)
St. Louis (8-9; lost 4 times to them in the 1960s, 4 times in the 1950s, and oddly, the #1 ranked 1949 Kentucky national championship team had an otherwise undefeated regular season blemished only by a 2 point loss to St. Louis, in the Sugar Bowl finals)
Southwest Louisiana (0-1; overtime UKIT loss when Pitino arrived; would be nice to discard this reminder of what Sutton left behind)
UTEP (0-1, 1966 championship game; Kentucky should've scheduled them right after hiring Tubby Smith as head coach)
And then, UK should keep playing North Carolina every year until the series (currently 15-24) turns around. It's a great series regardless of the all time record.
UK has a .500 record against Cornell, Detroit, Jacksonville (Artis Gilmore), Marquette and Seton Hall. The last two might insist on a home and away, which would be fine; the others would come to Rupp.
And, series record aside, a home and away with Northwestern would be nice (in either basketball or football); Chicago would be a great trip for UK fans.
George Washington or Maryland would make for a nice trip, too, so fans could take in the DC area, but I'd rather it be Georgetown, to erase that 0-2 record.
Who would you like to see Kentucky schedule?
I miss the Indiana rivalry, but if it's over because Indiana insists on playing in their campus arena where the court was stormed during UK's last visit, so be it.
I'd like to see UK schedule, play and beat the handful of Division I teams that have all time winning records against Kentucky.
Out of that group, each of these would make for a good home and away series:
Arizona (UK is 2-3 all time against the other Wildcats; playing in that high altitude would be a good test for any visiting team; it would be a great trip for fans, too)
UConn (would actually take a couple of series, as UK is 1-4 all time against UConn)
Georgetown (UK is 0-2 all time, Washington would be a great trip for UK fans, and revenge for the bizarre blown lead in the 1984 Final Four is long overdue)
Memphis (UK is 0-1 all time; the Calipari connection would insure a lot of media attention, and the trip to a hostile arena in Memphis would be good preparation for a young UK roster before conference play)
Southern Cal (like UConn, would take a couple of series, as UK is 0-3 all time against USC)
The following teams could be scheduled for one or two trips to Rupp with no return trip:
UAB (2-3; both Gillispie and Tubby managed to lose to them...and also Joe B. Hall in the 1981 tournament, with Louisville looming on the horizon)
Gardner-Webb (0-1; there's no reason to let that stand; beating them would help purge any remaining stench from the Gillispie years, including from the recordbook)
Middle Tennessee (0-1, another NCAA pre-Louisville meltdown; there's no reason UK should have a losing record to any team from Tennessee)
San Diego (0-1; another Gillispie taint to purge)
St. Louis (8-9; lost 4 times to them in the 1960s, 4 times in the 1950s, and oddly, the #1 ranked 1949 Kentucky national championship team had an otherwise undefeated regular season blemished only by a 2 point loss to St. Louis, in the Sugar Bowl finals)
Southwest Louisiana (0-1; overtime UKIT loss when Pitino arrived; would be nice to discard this reminder of what Sutton left behind)
UTEP (0-1, 1966 championship game; Kentucky should've scheduled them right after hiring Tubby Smith as head coach)
And then, UK should keep playing North Carolina every year until the series (currently 15-24) turns around. It's a great series regardless of the all time record.
UK has a .500 record against Cornell, Detroit, Jacksonville (Artis Gilmore), Marquette and Seton Hall. The last two might insist on a home and away, which would be fine; the others would come to Rupp.
And, series record aside, a home and away with Northwestern would be nice (in either basketball or football); Chicago would be a great trip for UK fans.
George Washington or Maryland would make for a nice trip, too, so fans could take in the DC area, but I'd rather it be Georgetown, to erase that 0-2 record.
Who would you like to see Kentucky schedule?
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