Kentucky women’s basketball schedules home-and-home series with Big Ten opponent

Kentucky women’s basketball will look to earn its first-ever win against Purdue this December.

UK and Purdue announced jointly a home-and-home series over the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons on Thursday. The Wildcats will travel to West Lafayette, Indiana, for the first installment Dec. 14 this year; the Boilermakers will play in Lexington on a to-be-determined date during the 2025-26 campaign. Tip times and TV designations will be announced later.

The two programs have only ever played twice, with Purdue claiming victory in both. The Boilermakers, who won their first and only NCAA national championship in 1999, hosted UK the following season on Dec. 18, 1999, and won 48-40. Purdue also won 87-67 in Memorial Coliseum on Dec. 1, 2000.

The Boilermakers are entering their fourth season under head coach Katie Gearlds, who played for Purdue from 2003-07. In three seasons under Gearlds, Purdue has built an overall record of 51-45 (21-32 Big Ten). The Boilermakers finished the 2023-24 season 15-19 (5-13 Big Ten), and reached the third round of the 2024 WNIT before falling to Vermont.

New UK associate head coach Lindsey Hicks, formerly a four-year assistant coach under Kenny Brooks at Virginia Tech and his associate head coach during the 2023-24 season, was a freshman at Purdue during the 2000-01 season, and grabbed a rebound in five minutes of playing time during the victory over the Wildcats. During Hicks’ career with the Boilermakers, Purdue won three Big Ten titles and made four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 2001 title game appearance, a 2003 trip to the Elite Eight and a 2004 Sweet 16 berth.

Last week, the Southeastern Conference announced home and away designations for the 2024-25 season. UK will host Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Texas, and hit the road to play at Florida, Georgia, Ole Miss, Missouri, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and Oklahoma.

There are currently 11 players on the Wildcats’ 2024-25 roster, including All-America graduate point guard Georgia Amoore, who transferred from Virginia Tech following Brooks’ hiring, and returning guards Cassidy Rowe and Saniah Tyler.

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