College basketball: Wright State men to open season at Kentucky

Clint Sargent was named Wright State men's basketball coach on March 28, 2024. Joe Craven/Wright State Athletics

Clint Sargent was named Wright State men's basketball coach on March 28, 2024. Joe Craven/Wright State Athletics

Wright State will begin the basketball season against a high-profile opponent.

The school announced Thursday the Raiders will head to Lexington to take on Kentucky on Nov. 4 in the season-opener.

It will serve as the first game for both head coaches at their current school.

While Clint Sargent takes over the Wright State program as a first-time head coach, Mark Pope has replaced John Calipari at the helm of the Wildcats after a successful stint at BYU.

“This is a great opportunity for our program to compete on one of the biggest stages in college basketball,” Sargent said in a news release. “We understand it will be a great environment against a very good opponent that will test our moxie and resolve. We are looking forward to the challenge.”

The Raiders return eight players from last season, including double-digit scorers Brandon Noel and Alex Huibregtse.

Sargent also added six new players, including three freshmen and three transfers.

WSU and UK have met four times, all Kentucky wins.

Most recently the Wildcats topped the Raiders 78-63 in November 2015 at Rupp Arena.

WSU also opened the 1992-93 season with an 81-65 loss at Rupp.

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