Texas Tech University Athletics
Tech, Kentucky set for exhibition at Rupp Arena
August 20, 2026 | Men's Basketball
LUBBOCK, Texas – A preseason matchup between Texas Tech and Kentucky is set for Friday, October 23 at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center with the Red Raiders returning to Lexington, Kentucky for the first time in 40 years. Additional information for the exhibition, including the game time and ticket information will be announced when available.
Tech is scheduled to open the 2026-27 regular season with a five-game home stand at United Supermarkets Arena, beginning with the season opener against Jackson State on Monday, November 2 and including a matchup against Illinois on Tuesday, November 10 in the third game of the season. Game times and television designations for the non-conference schedule along with Big 12 schedule information will be announced when available.
The Red Raiders and Wildcats have met five times in regular season matchups, most recently with Kentucky traveling to Lubbock during the 2019-20 season in a Big 12/SEC Challenge matchup. The Wildcats, who are 5-0 in the all-time series, earned a 76-74 overtime win on January 25, 2020 at United Supermarkets Arena to snap Tech's 54-game non-conference winning streak. The Red Raiders have played twice in Lexington, Kentucky, first on December 2, 1963 and then again on December 2, 1986.
Kentucky is coming off a season where it went 22-14 overall and with a 10-8 record in SEC play. The Wildcats advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round, earning an 89-84 win over Santa Clara before having their season end with an 82-63 loss to Iowa State in St. Louis, Missouri.
Texas Tech is coming off its third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament under McCasland and a 23-11 overall record. Through three seasons under McCasland, the Red Raiders are 74-31 after a season where the team earned a program record four wins over Top 10 teams. Tech was ranked throughout the 2025-26 season for the first time in program history – ranking as high as No. 10 and finishing the season at No. 21 in the AP Top 25. The Red Raiders played three games against SEC opponents last season, earning an 82-58 win over LSU in Fort Worth and dropping a 93-86 game in Dallas against Arkansas in December before having their season end with a 90-65 loss to Alabama in the NCAA Tournament Second Round in Tampa, Florida.
The Red Raiders will be playing in their first exhibition game open to the public since McCasland's first season when the team played Texas A&M on October 29, 2023 at The Super Pit in Denton. The Red Raiders earned an 89-84 win over the Aggies in the exhibition.
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