Pioneers will play UK in Rupp Arena in November
For the first time in a century, the Transylvania Pioneers and the University of Kentucky Wildcats will meet in a men’s basketball game when the two teams take the floor in Rupp Arena on November 2 in a pre-season exhibition game.
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| The 1910-11 Transylvania men’s basketball team was the last Pioneer men’s team to play the University of Kentucky. |
“We are realistic about our chances to be competitive,” said Transylvania head coach Brian Lane ’90. “We want to use the game to get ready for our season and give UK a disciplined opponent to contend with. It’s a great opportunity for our program. Not many NCAA Division III teams get to play in Rupp Arena, especially against what will probably be the nation’s No. 1 or No. 2 ranked team.”
Transylvania last played the Wildcats in 1911 in a game won by UK 30-24. The two teams helped inaugurate intercollegiate basketball in Kentucky eight years earlier in a 1903 game won by Transylvania 42-2. During those years the schools played 14 times, with each winning seven games. Transylvania has outscored the Wildcats 303-182 in the series.
Lane said he expects his players to be sky-high for the UK game.
“I’m sure they’ll be excited,” he said. “It’s something they’ll remember for a very long time. I think they will want to come back to campus this fall in the best shape of their lives.”
