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Feb 8, 2020; Dayton, Ohio, USA; Saint Louis Billikens head coach Travis Ford reacts from the bench in the game against the Dayton Flyers in the first half at University of Dayton Arena.
Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images Kentucky Basketball is getting closer and closer to having a final product when it comes to the schedule for the 2026-27 mens basketball season.
However, the final touches are still being worked on, and weve got a pair of new games confirmed.
On Friday morning, KSR reported that Appalachian State and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock were added to the schedule.
The Appalachian State Mountaineers will come to Rupp Arena on December 5, 2026, as part of Kentuckys non-conference slate.
Little Rock, on the other hand, has been added as an exhibition game and will come to Rupp Arena on October 16, 2026.
These are two teams that Kentucky has only competed against once in program history.
These are two fun additions to a schedule that is nearing completion.
It isnt necessarily fueling the fans who want to play big-name programs throughout the entire non-conference slate, but both games add something that I think makes the matchups a little more exciting.
BACK TO THE BLUEGRASS STATE Taking on the Cats in a preseason exhibition, Oct.
16th #LittleRocksTeam pic.twitter.com/MmsNsNFxJ3 Little Rock Basketball (@LittleRockMBB) July 17, 2026 Little Rock will come to Rupp Arena for the second time, having first played there in the 2011-12 season.
Kentucky knocked off the Trojans in that one, 73-51.
This will be the first Kentucky team to play the Trojans since the team that won title No.
8, which has to be a good sign, right? Now, Little Rock is headed back to Rupp Arena, but this time with a fun twist.
Theyre coached by none other than Travis Ford, from Madisonville, Ky, and who wore the Kentucky jersey from 1991-94.
While at Kentucky, Ford put up 951 points, 428 assists, and 201 rebounds, and appeared in exactly 100 games in blue and white.
Now, in his first season as the head coach of Little Rock, he will come home to Kentucky, where he was born and raised, and get to coach against his alma mater in Rupp Arena.
SCHEDULE ALERT The Mountaineers are headed to Lexington.
App State will take on Kentucky this season in Rupp Arena, one of college basketballs most iconic venues.
Saturday, December 5th.
#TakeTheStairs pic.twitter.com/AanzzCrwUx App State Basketball (@AppStateMBB) July 17, 2026 Appalachian State faced off against Kentucky during Billy Gillispies final year on the sidelines for Kentucky on December 20, 2008.
In that game, a young man by the name of Jodie Meeks had himself a game, scoring 46 points against the Mountaineers in a 93-69 victory for Kentucky.
That game was actually played in Freedom Hall, so this will be the schools first trip to Rupp Arena when the two schools face off in December.
As for the team specifically, they are coached by Dustin Kerns, who has been at Appalachian State since 2019.
Last year, the Mountaineers finished 19-13 with an 11-7 record in the Sun Belt.
In the current world of college basketball, things change minute by minute, so were not completely sure how good they will be when they come to Lexington this winter.
One takeaway I have noticed is that under Kerns, the Mountaineers have defended at an elite level.
They have been in the top 50 in the nation in points allowed per game in each of the last six years, including 12th in the country two years ago, and 16th in the country last year.
When most people think of Appalachian State, they think of country music superstar Luke Combs, or the huge upset on the football field over Michigan in 2007, the scenic views of the campus, but not many think of basketball when they hear the schools name.
I think this is a super cool opportunity for a school like Appalachian State, a team from the Sun Belt Conference that usually gets looked over in the modern world of college basketball.
Nowadays, schools like Kentucky benefit more from playing either the best-of-the-best schools or the worst-of-the-worst.
By playing the best schools, you rack up huge wins that can push you up a seed line when it comes to March Madness.
By playing the worst schools, you help out your NET rating when you blow out a team by a lot.
With the NCAA tournament using NET ratings, big schools often overlook schools like Appalachian State, and teams like them end up scheduling poorly because big brands wont play them, and you can look at Miami Ohio last season as an example of that.
2026-27 Kentucky Basketball Non-Conference Schedule (so far) Little Rock on Friday, October 16 (Rupp Arena) Manhattan on Tuesday, November 3 (Rupp Arena) James Madison on Friday, November 6 (Rupp Arena) Kansas on Tuesday, November 10 in Chicago (Champions Classic/United Center) Northern Arizona on Friday, November 13 (Rupp Arena) Grambling State on Monday, November 16 (Rupp Arena) Indiana on Friday, November 20 in Indianapolis (Lucas Oil Stadium) Virginia on Wednesday, December 2 in Charlottesville (ACC/SEC Challenge/John Paul Jones Arena) Appalachian State on Saturday, December 5 (Rupp Arena) Bryant on Tuesday, December 8 (Rupp Arena) Louisville on Saturday, December 12 (Rupp Arena) North Carolina on Saturday, December 19 in New York City (CBS Sports Classic/Madison Square Garden) Sacred Heart on Tuesday, December 22 (Rupp Arena) Gardner-Webb on December 28 (Rupp Arena).