Mark Pope
Kentucky basketball head coach Mark Pope gives an update on the upcoming 2026-27 season during a press conference in Lexington, Kentucky July 24, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect · USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Tonight, Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats will take on the UCF Knights in the final exhibition game of the offseason before the real thing starts against Manhattan on Tuesday. The Wildcats are 2-0 in exhibition games this offseason, taking down Little Rock and Texas Tech. A win tonight over the Knights would give the Wildcats a clean sweep in these exhibition games.

UCF was an NCAA Tournament team last season, so it will be another good test for Pope and the Wildcats before the regular season gets started on Tuesday.

Let's take a look at how Kentucky fans can watch the Wildcats exhibition matchup with UCF.

How to watch Kentucky's exhibition against UCF

The Kentucky Wildcats will be taking on the UCF Knights at 6:00 pm est this evening, and Kentucky fans can watch this game on the SEC Network. This will be the first exhibition not on one of the "plus" stations, so all Kentucky fans should be able to enjoy it. Kentucky's first two games of the regular season will be on SEC Network+, so BBN needs to prepare accordingly.

Mark Pope
Oct 16, 2026; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope talks to his players during the first half against the Little Rock Trojans at Rupp Arena Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect · IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There are a few things I would like to see Kentucky clean up this evening when they take on UCF. The first thing is the defensive rebounding. In the win over Texas Tech on Friday, the Wildcats did a lot well, but they let the Red Raiders get way too many second-chance opportunities. This needs to be cleaned up tonight against the Knights.

Alex Wilkins did a lot well in the win over Texas Tech, especially late, but he hasn't been efficient from the field in the Wildcats' two exhibition games so far. Fans would love to see him get more efficient from the field, and this game against UCF is a great opportunity to do that.

Alex Wilkins
Oct 23, 2026; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Alex Wilkins (10) celebrates during the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Rupp Arena Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect · IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

These exhibition games are a great opportunity for teams to work on their potential problems, and for the Wildcats, that is defense and rebounding. Surprisingly, in the first two exhibition games of the offseason, the defense has looked good, which has been really encouraging to Kentucky fans.

If the Wildcats are able to take down the Knights tonight, Big Blue Nation will be very fired up heading into year three of the Pope era. It's a very important season for this staff, but I do think this team is going to end up being pretty darn good and surprise some folks.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/kentucky as How to watch Kentucky's exhibition matchup with UCF.

Source: Yahoo Sports