The UTA men's basketball team is stepping up its level of competition this fall before it begins Sun Belt Conference play.
The Mavericks will make their first-ever trip to Kentucky when they play the Wildcats at Rupp Arena Nov. 19.
The game against Kentucky is part of the Keightley Classic. UTA will play four games in the Classic, with the Nov. 15 game against Cleveland State at UTA's College Park Center. The Mavericks will also play road games at Robert Morris (Nov. 21) and Eastern Michigan (Nov. 23).
"Facing Kentucky is an attractive game for us to play," UTA coach Scott Cross said. "Kentucky is one of the top basketball programs in the country. They're going to be one of the highest-ranked teams in the preseason, maybe as high as No. 1, and I wanted to expose our guys to that level of competition.
Games such as Kentucky and the others in the Keightley Classic will help prepare us for the postseason. Playing in Rupp Arena, which is one of the toughest environments in college basketball, is a tremendous opportunity for our players."
The rest of the UTA schedule will be released at a later date.
