Kentucky Wildcats to play Michigan in London, England next season

The Kentucky Wildcats will play Michigan in London, England, next season.

It's part of a new three-year deal between the two basketball programs.

UK Head Coach John Calipari says this series checks off a lot of boxes for Kentucky schedule-wise.

The London game is scheduled for December 2020 at the O2 arena. The exact date is to be announced at a later time.

It will be the first NCAA Division I college basketball game to be played in the arena.

“And then to be able to do something different – to be first, which our fans know we love to do – and play this first game is London will be an unforgettable experience for our players and for our fans. I imagine the home-and-home games the following seasons will be as good as any nonconference games in the country," said Calipari.

This will be the first regular-season game in Europe for the Wildcats.

UK Athletics says the game will be hosted by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and serve as a fundraiser for the Hall.

Kentucky and Michigan will also play a home-and-home series against each other in the following two seasons.

UK will travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for the Dec. 4, 2021 game, and Kentucky will host Michigan in Rupp Arena on Dec. 3, 2022.

Kentucky played a series of exhibitions games in the Bahamas ahead of the 2014-15 season. The Wildcats have also played in Canada and Mexico.