Baylor, Maryland, Duke highlight
UK basketball non-conference schedule

Earlier this summer in a one-on-one interview with KyForward, UK head coach John Calipari re-emphasized his priority to schedule games with marquee non-conference opponents in football stadiums to prepare his team for a Final-Four atmosphere.

It should be no surprise to fans then that the 2012-13 non-conference schedule released by UK Tuesday features the Wildcats playing most of their best opponents away from Rupp Arena. UK will open the 2012-13 season against Maryland on Nov. 9 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., as a part of the Barclays Center Classic. The Wildcats then play their only football-stadium game of the regular season on a Nov. 13 against Duke in the Georgia Dome as part of the Champions Classic.

The marquee game on the UK home schedule is a rematch versus Baylor, who UK defeated in the Elite Eight of the 2012 NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats play one other 2012 NCAA Tournament team, Long Island, at Rupp Arena next season. UK plays two more 2012 NCAA Tournament teams — Notre Dame and Louisville — on the road.

You can see the full non-conference schedule below.

UK men’s basketball 2012-13 non-conference schedule

October
Big Blue Madness — Oct. 12 — Rupp Arena
Blue-White Game — Oct. 24 — Rupp Arena

November
Northwood (Exhibition) — Nov. 1 — Rupp Arena
Transylvania (Exhibition) — Nov. 5 — Rupp Arena
Maryland — Nov. 9 — Barclays Center (Brooklyn)
Duke — Nov. 13 — Georgia Dome (Atlanta)
Lafayette College — Nov. 16 — Rupp Arena
Morehead State — Nov. 21 — Rupp Arena
Long Island University — Nov. 23 — Rupp Arena
Notre Dame — Nov. 29 — Joyce Center (South Bend, Ind.)

December
Baylor — Dec. 1 — Rupp Arena
Samford — Dec. 4 — Rupp Arena
Portland — Dec. 8 — Rupp Arena
Lipscomb — Dec. 15 — Rupp Arena
Marshall — Dec. 22 — Rupp Arena
Louisville — Dec. 29 — KFC Yum! Center (Louisville, Ky.)

January
Eastern Michigan — Jan. 2 — Rupp Arena