Takeaways from the SEC Basketball schedule release for the Kentucky Wildcats

On Wednesday, the SEC announced the full schedule of conference games and dates, so now Big Blue Nation will know when the Wildcats will take on each SEC foe.

Here is the full SEC schedule for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Kentucky 2026 SEC Basketball Schedule

Home

Missouri: January 6th or 7th
Mississippi State: January 10th
Texas: January 20th or 21st
Ole Miss: January 24th
Oklahoma: February 3rd
Tennessee: February 7th
Georgia: February 17th or 18th
Vanderbilt February 28th
Florida: March 7th

Away

Alabama: January 3rd
LSU: January 13th or 14th
Tennessee: January 17th
Vanderbilt: January 27th or 28th
Arkansas: January 31st
Florida: February 14th
Auburn: February 21st
South Carolina: February 24th or 25th
Texas A&M: March 3rd or 4th

Takeaways from Kentucky's 2026 SEC Basketball Schedule

SEC play gets started with a bang

The first takeaway from the Kentucky basketball schedule is the fact that things are getting started with a massive bang as the Wildcats open up SEC play with a road game against Alabama. This is an Alabama team that beat Kentucky three times last season, so Coach Pope will be looking for some revenge. The Wildcats brought in former Crimson Tide power forward Mo Dioubate, so he will likely be greeted with some animosity.

Both matchups vs. Tennessee set for Saturdays

Last season, both of Kentucky's matchups with Tennessee were played on Tuesday nights. Both fan bases get fired up for this rivalry, and fans want to see these games be played on Saturdays. This season, they will get their wish. Both the matchups in Lexington and Knoxville will be played on Saturday, which will draw big crowds and perhaps could be College GameDay.

The schedule is split up nicely

Often, when taking a look at a team's schedule, the first thought is that there are one or two stretches of games that look quite daunting. Compared to other years, this SEC schedule seems to be split up in a way where there aren't any stretches that seem terrifying for Kentucky. Now, this still is the SEC, and the conference is packed with talent from top to bottom, so there won't be one night where the team can slack. With this being said, it's a tough schedule because it is an SEC schedule, but the Wildcats seemed to get a fair break.

Conclusion

Kentucky has the talent to have a record in the 13-5 to 15-3 range this season. If they were to have a record like this, they would likely be a one or two seed in the NCAA Tournament.