Mark your calendars, Big Blue Nation. The Kentucky Wildcats are heading to the Big Apple for a heavyweight showdown with Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic on Dec. 21.
The Cats and Buckeyes will take center stage at Madison Square Garden, tipping off at 5:30 p.m. in the nightcap of a doubleheader that kicks off with UCLA and North Carolina at 3 p.m.
Want to catch the action live? Better act fast. Fans can sign up for ticket alerts at cbssportsclassic.com/tickets to get the inside track on snagging seats and travel packages.
“We’re bringing college hoops’ cream of the crop to the world’s most famous arena,” CBS Sports exec Dan Weinberg told the Courier Journal. “This event showcases the best of the best, from opening night to the final buzzer in April.”
The Garden marks lucky number seven for CBS Sports Classic venues, joining a who’s who of hoops temples across the nation. But it’s the star power on the court that really dazzles. These four blue bloods have a combined 26 national titles and 66 Final Four appearances. They’re the royalty of college basketball, plain and simple.
Kentucky’s no stranger to this dance, sporting a 5-5 record in the Classic. But this year’s squad, under new head coach Mark Pope, looks primed to tilt that scale in UK’s favor.
Pope’s roster reads like a wish list for Wildcat fans. We’re talking six fifth-year vets, a mix of sharpshooters and defensive stoppers, and a freshman class that includes Kentucky’s all-time leading scorer, Travis Perry.
With nearly 8,000 career points and over 1,000 threes between them, this Wildcat team’s got more firepower than a Fourth of July celebration. Add in some lockdown defenders and a sprinkle of young bluegrass talent, and UK’s cooking up something special for the Garden.
So circle that date, Cat fans. December 21 in the Big Apple – it’s going to be a blue Christmas in New York City.
