Kentucky has added another non-conference opponent to its 2025-26 schedule, according to CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein.
Per the report, the Wildcats will host North Carolina Central at Rupp Arena on a date to be determined.
The Eagles, who have made four NCAA Tournament appearances under head coach LeVelle Moton, finished 14-19 overall and 6-8 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference last season.
It is UK’s eighth confirmed non-conference opponent for next season, joining Michigan State in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden (Nov. 18), UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic (date TBD), Gonzaga in Nashville (Dec. 5), vs. Indiana (Dec. 13), vs. Bellarmine (Dec. 23) at Louisville (date TBD), and an ACC opponent in the third annual ACC-SEC Challenge.
In head coach Mark Pope‘s first season, Kentucky went 24-12 overall, 10-8 in the SEC and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament despite losing second-leading scorer Jaxson Robinson and backup point guard Kerr Kriisa to season-ending injuries while also having several other injuries impact the large majority of its season and playing just seven games all season at full strength.
In the process, the Wildcats tied an NCAA record with eight wins over teams ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press Top 25, including No. 6 Duke, No. 7 Gonzaga, No. 6 Florida, No. 14 Mississippi State, No. 11 Texas A&M, No. 8 Tennessee, No. 5 Tennessee and No. 15 Missouri.
UK set a new single-season record for made 3-pointers with 341 while shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc. Its 3,040 total points scored ranks seventh in school history and the Cats also recorded 607 assists, good enough for ninth on the school’s single-season list.
Kentucky ranked seventh nationally in scoring, averaging 84.4 points per game.
The Wildcats are set to lose starters Lamont Butler, Andrew Carr, and Amari Williams as well as reserves Koby Brea, Jaxson Robinson, and Ansley Almonor to graduation and backup point guard Kerr Kriisa (Cincinnati) to the transfer portal.
Reserve guard Collin Chandler and backup center Brandon Garrison have each announced they will return next season.
UK is expected to return leading scorer Otega Oweh, who recently announced he will go through the NBA Draft process while maintaining his college eligibility, as well as Kentucky natives Trent Noah, and Travis Perry.
Kentucky has a top-25 recruiting class for 2025, which includes 4-star prospects and top-30 recruits Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno as well as coveted Croatian forward Andrija Jelavic, who has yet to be rated by 247Sports.
The Wildcats’ 4-man transfer portal class currently ranks No. 3 nationally behind only Michigan and Louisville and features one top-10, two top-30, three top-40 and four top-60 prospects in the transfer portal according to 247Sports: Arizona State center Jayden Quaintance (No. 10 overall), Pittsburgh point guard Jaland Lowe (No. 32), Tulane forward Kam Williams (No. 39) and Alabama forward Mouhamed Dioubate (No. 56).
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