13th ranked Kentucky opens up SEC play when they host 10th ranked Arkansas at Memorial Coliseum on New Year’s Eve and it’s being televised on SEC Network, but can be seen on WatchESPN on devices along with live audio and stats at ukathletics.com and on the UK Athletics app.
Kentucky has a stretch of ranked opponents to start off SEC play; they host No. 10 Arkansas, travel to No. 12 Mississippi State in place of Tennessee, then next week travel to College Station taking on No. 9 Texas A&M and then host No. 5 South Carolina. By chance all these teams stay in the Top 15 of AP poll at the time of the scheduled games, then it would be the first time in UK program history that the Cats will face four top ranked teams, they have face three top ranked teams several times straight.
Wildcats average 79.4 ppg and only allow their opponents 56.1 ppg, while the Razorbacks average 91.2 ppg and their opponents only 68.1 ppg. This will mark the 39th meeting between Arkansas and Kentucky as the Cats hold a 24-14 record against the Razorbacks, they are 15-3 in Lexington and had won 10 in a row against Arkansas until last year when the Razorbacks got a 103- 85 win against the Cats, marking the second time they played each other ranked as Arkansas was 25 and Kentucky 15. The Wildcats are 1-6 against a ranked Arkansas; their only win was on January 28, 1996 when unranked Kentucky defeated 22 Arkansas 69-65 in Lexington. The Wildcats are 16-22 in SEC openers.
13 Kentucky and 10 Arkansas tipoff at 8:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network.
