Louisville will play Kentucky at the KFC Yum! Center on Dec. 21 and against Indiana on New Year’s Eve, Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino told reporters on Tuesday afternoon as part of his first media availability since the end of last season.
Louisville-Kentucky, which is generally on the first Saturday after Christmas, was moved up to a Wednesday next season because that is what ESPN wanted, Louisville spokesman Kenny Klein said during Pitino’s presser. The network giant owns the television rights to the game.
“They’ll still get 5,000 or 6,000 of their fans somehow buying their places,” Pitino said jokingly of Kentucky fans. “No matter what money, you can’t keep them out.”
The contest with the Hoosiers will take place at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, home of the Pacers, and is the first contest as part of a three-game agreement, which was announced on Aug. 21, 2015. The teams will play at Louisville in 2017 and at Indiana’s Assembly Hall in 2018.
Tip-off on Dec. 21 is TBD, but Pitino said it will likely be in the afternoon, while also noting that some details of the game are still being worked out.
Kentucky and Indiana are part of a loaded non-conference slate for Louisville, which will include Battle 4 Atlantis, Purdue in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, and a trip to Phoenix to take on 27-win Grand Canyon University.
Other tidbits from Pitino’s press conference on Tuesday
- In regards to the NCAA investigation into the Louisville escort scandal, Pitino believes the worst is behind the school. He also cautioned that that is merely his opinion, but that the investigation has not hurt recruiting.
- Freshman forward Chinanu Onuaku opted to keep his name in the NBA Draft after testing the waters this spring, and Pitino supports it. Specifically, Pitino cited that the June 23 draft is weak this year, and Onuaku could play his way into the first round. Onuaku is currently slotted as the No. 38 overall pick (eighth in the second round) by DraftExpress.
- Pitino complimented his 2016-17 season by comparing its depth to his 1996 Kentucky team, although he was quick to say this Louisville team has nowhere near the talent of that Wildcats squad. The 1996 UK team, affectionately dubbed, ‘The Untouchables,’ went 36-2 and won the national championship, defeating Syracuse in the title game at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J.
- Despite two open scholarships, Pitino is done recruiting for 2016-17. He will instead take those two open scholarships and put them towards the self-imposed recruiting sanctions, which the school announced in April.
- Mangok Mathiang and Quentin Snider will serve as team captains in 2016-17
