LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- It’s not just an exhibition. It’s a basketball blessing.

On Friday night, Rupp Arena hosts one of the most anticipated preseason games in Kentucky basketball history as the No. 9 Wildcats welcome No. 1 Purdue for a low-stakes, high-powered exhibition showdown.

Thanks to a new NCAA rule allowing D-I programs to face each other in public preseason games, Mark Pope didn’t hesitate in scheduling the nation’s top-ranked team — calling it "a gift" and "an unbelievable opportunity to go really see who we are at the very highest level."

Pope isn’t just experimenting, he’s competing.

“Yes. The answer is yes,” Pope said when asked if his Wildcats were playing to win. “This group is just hardwired that way. They’re going to try and win.”

Both teams return major pieces f

See Full Page