The Wildcats will make the short trip down Interstate 64 to begin their tournament run at No. 6 seed Louisville. The First Round contest from Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium is slated for Saturday, November 15, at 2 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
The two in-state rivals will reignite a rivalry that has not been played since 2018. Kentucky leads the all-time series 12-4-1, including a 4-1-1 mark in Louisville. Saturday’s match will be the first postseason meeting between the two teams.
The Wildcats enter the tournament with a 12-4-4 record, including a 5-2-3 mark in conference play. Kentucky finished in a tie for fifth place in the Southeastern Conference standings with 18 points—the most for the program since 2014. The Cats advanced to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory over Florida before bowing out in penalty kicks against No. 17 Georgia after a 1-1 draw.
Kentucky posted a 3-3-1 record against top 25 opponents this year, the best mark for the Wildcats since 2006. The Cats also earned a top ten win for the third consecutive season, defeating No. 8 South Carolina last month. Kentucky enters the tournament unbeaten in over a month, posting a 3-0-3 record since October 5.
The Wildcats are one of nine SEC teams to qualify for the 64-team field, joining No. 1 seed Vanderbilt, No. 3 seed Tennessee, No. 4 seed LSU, No. 5 seed Arkansas, No. 6 seed Mississippi State, No. 8 seed Georgia, No. 8 seed Alabama, and South Carolina. Kentucky posted a 2-4-2 record against NCAA Tournament teams this season, including wins over South Carolina and Alabama and draws against LSU and Georgia.
A season ago, Kentucky advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament in its first appearance under head coach Troy Fabiano. The Cats advanced past West Virginia via penalty kicks in the First Round before falling to No. 4 seed Notre Dame in the Second Round. The Wildcats are 3-12-2 all-time in the postseason event. Kentucky’s best NCAA Tournament result was a trip to the Third Round in 2014.
Louisville earned a No. 6 seed in the Championship after posting a 13-4-2 record this season, including a 6-2-2 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play that earned the Cardinals a share of fourth place in the league.
The winner of Saturday’s first-round match will face the winner of No. 3 seed Kansas and Cal Baptist in the Second Round on November 20.