LEXINGTON, Ky. – August 8, 2023
Kentucky is slated to take on North Carolina in this year’s CBS Sports Classic on Dec. 16 at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena. UK and the Tar Heels will play following the conclusion of the UCLA-Ohio State game, which is slated for 3 p.m. ET.
The games will air live on CBS and will also be available to stream on Paramount+.
The CBS Sports Classic annually brings together four of the nation’s most successful college basketball programs. The quartet owns a combined 26 national championships, with UCLA (11), Kentucky (eight) and North Carolina (six) ranking first, second and third, respectively, in NCAA history. Additionally, all four programs rank in the top six in all time Final Four berths, compiling 66 total appearances between them (North Carolina, 21; UCLA, 18; Kentucky, 17; Ohio State, 10).
Kentucky is 4-5 all-time in the event with its most recent win coming against North Carolina in 2021. The Tar Heels are 6-3, Ohio State is 4-4 and UCLA is 3-5.
This year, fans will have the opportunity to purchase official fan travel packages for the CBS Sports Classic, which will include game tickets, hotel accommodations in downtown Atlanta and in-arena hospitality at State Farm Arena. Fan travel packages are set to go on sale on Aug. 16, allowing fans exclusive early access to secure their seats for the event ahead of the launch of public ticket sales later in the month. Tickets for the general public will go on sale on Aug. 24 at www.cbssportsclassic.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
Fans interested in attending the event can register to receive direct email alerts regarding ticket news and other event details at www.cbssportsclassic.com/tickets. Fans who register for these ticket alerts will be eligible for an exclusive presale on Aug. 23.
State Farm Arena will be the seventh different venue to play host to the CBS Sports Classic. Throughout the nine-year history of the CBS Sports Classic, the United Center in Chicago (2014, 2018), Barclays Center in Brooklyn (2015), T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (2016, 2019, 2021), Smoothie King Center in New Orleans (2017), Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland (2020) and Madison Square Garden in New York City (2022) have hosted the event.
UK season ticket renewals will begin later this month, and all current season ticket holders will receive information by email when the renewal campaign begins.
Fans interested in purchasing new season tickets for the upcoming year are encouraged to sign up now for the men’s basketball season ticket lottery.
Winner of the 2023 GLOBL JAM, Kentucky boasts the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class with seven first-year signees including five top-25 prospects in Aaron Bradshaw, Rob Dillingham, Justin Edwards, Reed Sheppard and D.J. Wagner. Jordan Burks, who led OTE in points per game, and Joey Hart, who captured a state high school crown, were spring additions.
Additionally, Kentucky signed one of the top graduate transfers in Tre Mitchell, who has played in 102 career games, making 92 starts, and has scored more than 1,390 career points.
The Cats will also return Antonio Reeves, who averaged 14.4 points per game a season ago and was named the SEC’s Sixth Man of the Year. Sophomores Ugonna Onyenso and Adou Thiero also return. Onyenso had a per-40-minute average of 5.7 blocks per game, while Thiero played nearly 10 minutes a game and was a spark off the bench. For the latest on the Kentucky men’s basketball team, follow @KentuckyMBB on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and on the web at UKathletics.com.
