Kentucky Basketball Gears Up for Clash with Legendary Georgetown Hoyas

As of October 31st, 2025, the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team is gearing up for a highly anticipated preseason exhibition match against the Georgetown Hoyas. Kentucky coach Mark Pope has expressed immense respect for the Georgetown program, describing them as "one of the great programs in college basketball" and praising their head coach, Ed Cooley, as "one of the best coaches" in the sport.

The Wildcats are coming off a strong performance, having defeated the unanimous No. 1 team, Purdue, by a 13-point margin (78-65) in a recent exhibition game. Now, they turn their attention to the challenge posed by the Hoyas, a team that has bested Kentucky in their two previous meetings.

Last season, Georgetown went 18-16 overall and 8-12 in Big East play, eventually reaching the quarterfinals of the inaugural College Basketball Crown event before falling to eventual champion Nebraska. The Hoyas are bringing back 10 players from that squad, though only three (Malik Mack, Kayvaun Mulready, and Caleb Williams) saw significant playing time, appearing in more than 20 games.

Coach Pope is well aware of the formidable task ahead, describing the Hoyas as a "tough, tough team" that is "really skilled" and capable of "making shots." He expressed his excitement for the upcoming matchup, which is sure to be a thrilling showcase of two of college basketball's premier programs.