Baylor coming to Rupp Arena next season,
will play the Wildcats in Dallas in 2013-14

Since UK and Indiana decided to end their annual men’s basketball rivalry last month, there has been much speculation about the future of the UK schedule.

On Wednesday, UK head coach John Calipari revealed some of what next season’s schedule would look like in a message on his website CoachCal.com.

In place of a home matchup with Indiana in the 2012-13 season, UK will face Baylor at Rupp Arena. The Wildcats would then travel to Dallas to face Baylor as part of a doubleheader with the women’s programs at each school in Cowboys Stadium in 2013-14.

“The tickets will be split down the middle for that game, and we hope to break the NCAA attendance record,” Calipari wrote of the Cowboy’s Stadium event. “It’s an opportunity for both of our programs to do something that has never been done before – to create experiences for our players and fans.”

UK and North Carolina will take a one-year hiatus from their annual series, resuming it at North Carolina in 2013-14. The move was designed to have North Carolina and Louisville alternate seasons they visited Rupp Arena.

The 2012-13 schedule already includes neutral site games against Duke at the Georgia Dome in the Champions Classic and Maryland in the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and fans can expect similar games in the future.

Calipari said UK will play Michigan State in Chicago in 2013-14, and he is working with Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski on a multi-year, neutral-site series that would see the Wildcats and Blue Devils face off in the best facilities around the country. Calipari also hopes to add a game in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the 2013-14 season.

“There may be years that we add teams to the schedule based on our league and our team, but generally speaking, this is what we’ll do,” Calipari wrote. “We will play a national nonconference home game and a national nonconference road game to prepare us for the 18 SEC games, as well as three to four Kentucky experiences at neutral sites, including one or two at football stadiums that will prepare us for the NCAA Tournament and our fans will have access to.”

KyForward file photo