It's Official: WVU to Battle Kentucky in Morgantown as Part of 2017 Big 12/SEC Basketball Challenge
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on May 25, 2017 via Connect-Bridgeport.com
For the first time since 1970, and just the third time in school history, the West Virginia University men’s basketball team will host Kentucky in Morgantown during the 2017-18 season.
The Mountaineers and Wildcats will meet in this year’s Big 12/SEC Challenge on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018, at the WVU Coliseum.
“The Big 12/SEC Challenge has been great for college basketball and has created some exciting matchups for us,” coach Bob Huggins said. “All of Mountaineer Nation should be elated as our basketball program is to have Kentucky visit Morgantown for the first time in 48 years. It will truly be a great day for the state of West Virginia, all of Mountaineer Nation and for all college basketball fans.”
In Kentucky’s last visit to Morgantown on Dec. 7, 1970, the No. 3-ranked Wildcats came away with a 106-100 victory. It was the Mountaineers’ third game played in the opening season of the WVU Coliseum. Kentucky’s first visit to Morgantown was on Jan. 11, 1941, a 56-43 Mountaineer victory.
The meeting will be the 21st in all-time series play with Kentucky leading the series that began in 1924 by a 15-5 count. Kentucky has won nine of the last 10 meetings in series play with WVU’s lone win during that stretch coming in the 2010 NCAA Elite Eight in Syracuse, New York, a 73-66 victory that sent the Mountaineers to their second NCAA Final Four.
West Virginia is 1-3 all-time in the Big 12/SEC Challenge with an 80-71 loss at Missouri in 2013-14, a 74-73 loss at home to LSU in 2014-15, an 88-71 loss at Florida in 2015-16 and an 81-77 win at home to Texas A&M last season.
Kentucky coach John Calipari will make his first visit to Morgantown since leading No. 1-ranked UMass to a 97-94 overtime victory over WVU on Jan. 27, 1995. Huggins and Calipari will meet for the 12th time with Huggins holding an 8-3 all-time record against Calipari.
In addition to Kentucky, Virginia will make its first visit to Morgantown this season since March 14, 1985. The rest of WVU’s basketball schedule and season ticket information will be released later this summer.
