Kentucky men’s basketball added another matchup to its 2026-27 schedule on Friday. Head coach Mark Pope and the Wildcats are set to welcome the Appalachian State Mountaineers of the Sun Belt Conference to Rupp Arena on Dec. 5, 2026.

Once the two sides meet in December, it will be the second-ever contest between the two; the first one came back in 2008 when UK blasted the Mountaineers, 93-69, inside of Freedom Hall in Louisville, guided by a 46-point showing from Jodie Meeks.

App State is led by Dustin Kerns, who is entering his eighth season at the helm.

Over the course of his seven previous seasons with App State, Kerns holds a 133-91 overall record, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament one time back in 2021 as a No. 16 seed, where his Mountaineers dropped a First Four tilt to No. 16 seed Norfolk State.

App State finished the 2025-26 campaign with a 19-13 overall record and an 11-7 record in Sun Belt play, yet it somehow tied for second place in the Sun Belt, as five other schools also concluded the season with an 11-7 record.

The Mountaineers earned a No. 4 seed in the 2026 Sun Belt Conference Tournament but bowed out in the QuarterFinals to No. 8-seeded Southern Mississippi 86-73.

App State faced one power-five opponent last season in the Ohio State Buckeyes from the Big Ten, where they were defeated 75-53 in Columbus, Ohio.

One game before that matchup, App State defeated North Carolina Central 76-54, which UK later dismantled 103-67 inside Rupp Arena following a season-high 22-point showing from Jasper Johnson, who since transferred to Oregon.

In terms of this upcoming season, the Mountaineers are losing their three leading point scorers from last year as guards Kasen Jennings (15.2 PPG) and Alonzo Todd (13.8 PPG) have exhausted their NCAA eligibility, while center Luke Wilson (10.7 PPG) transferred to Syracuse to play under newly hired head coach Gerry McNamara.

Kerns added three new transfers to his 2026-27 roster, though, gaining Corbin Allen from Kansas, Hermann Koffi from Stonehill and Rrezon Elezaj, a 7-foot-2 center from UConn, who should give Malachi Moreno and UK’s bigs a fun task to handle.

As of now, Kentucky’s confirmed non-conference opponents for this upcoming season are Manhattan, James Madison, Kansas (State Farm Champions Classic), Northern Arizona, Grambling State, Indiana, Virginia (SEC/ACC Challenge), Bryant, Louisville, North Carolina (CBS Sports Classic), Sacred Heart and Gardner-Webb.

The tipoff time and viewing schedule for Kentucky’s showdown with the Mountaineers are yet to be announced.

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