No. 23 Kentucky hosts No. 19 Texas Tech in Friday exhibition at Rupp Arena
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
No. 23 Kentucky faces No. 19 Texas Tech in a stream-only exhibition Friday at Rupp Arena.
It's the last tune-up before the Nov. 3 opener against Manhattan.
Background
Kentucky is the University of Kentucky men's basketball program, coached by Mark Pope, who is in his third season in Lexington with a 46-26 record. Last season the Wildcats went 22-14 overall and 10-8 in SEC play, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they lost 82-63 to Iowa State. Kentucky enters this year ranked No. 23 in the preseason AP and Coaches polls, and UK Athletics said it was the 59th time in 66 preseason AP polls the program was ranked to begin the year. The Texas Tech exhibition comes as Pope has faced questions about roster spending and name, image and likeness (NIL) money, which he says is widely misreported.
How it unfolded
- Mar 13, 2026Kentucky's Malachi Moreno played in the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament quarterfinal against Florida at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
- Mar 22, 2026Kentucky's season ended with an 82-63 loss to Iowa State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in St. Louis.
- Oct 2, 2026Mark Pope was introduced during Big Blue Madness at Rupp Arena in Lexington.
- Oct 16, 2026Kentucky beat Little Rock 69-49 in an exhibition at Rupp Arena.
- Oct 19, 2026Kentucky was ranked No. 23 with 243 votes in the preseason AP poll and No. 23 in the Coaches poll; nine opponents on the schedule were ranked ahead of the season.
- Oct 20, 2026Kentucky placed 26 players on NBA opening day rosters, the 15th consecutive season it has had the most alumni in the league.
- Oct 21, 2026Mark Pope discussed recruiting and NIL spending with Seth Davis and Andy Katz on The Hoops HQ Show.
- Oct 23, 2026No. 23 Kentucky is set to face No. 19 Texas Tech in a stream-only exhibition at Rupp Arena, with tip at 6 p.m. CT.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Pope said nothing about roster money is public and that reporting on offers and contracts was 'far from where it was,' calling much of what he reads about UK 'wildly inflated.'
- Official
- Pope said Kentucky will 'rarely' offer recruits the most money but will always be 'really, really competitive' in NIL, and that the staff was 'incredibly disciplined' in roster building.
- Analysts
- Interviewer Seth Davis pressed Pope on whether Kentucky had a $22 million roster and one of the highest payrolls in college basketball.
Still unverified
Pope said the reported $22 million roster figure and reporting on individual offers and contracts are unconfirmed speculation; Texas Tech faces eligibility questions regarding key players including returners Darrion Williams and Donovan Atwell and UCF transfer JaMichael Stillwell.