UK’s pre-SEC schedule includes Kansas, UCLA

UK basketball fans never need an excuse to get excited about next season.

“Next season” officially begins Oct. 14 with the annual spectacle of Big Blue Madness, introducing the 2016-17 men’s and women’s basketball teams. Madness will begin at 7 p.m. in Rupp Arena and will air on the SEC Network, according to a school news release.

That’s just the beginning of the exhibition slate, which will encompass Madness, the Blue-White Scrimmage and UK’s first two exhibition games vs. Clarion and Asbury. All events and games are scheduled for 7 p.m. starts. All four events will also be televised live by the SEC Network.

Just one week from the official opening of the 2016- 17 season, the annual Blue- White Scrimmage will take place Oct. 21. Tipping off at 7 p.m., fans of the Big Blue Nation will see next year’s team in action, including the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class of Edrice “Bam” Adebayo, De’Aaron Fox, Wenyen Gabriel, Sacha Killeya

Jones and Malik Monk.

Kentucky will once again have two exhibition contests before opening up regular-season action. UK will take on Clarion, the alma mater of head coach John Calipari, on Oct. 30. A week later UK’s final tuneup will pit Asbury vs. the Wildcats on Nov. 6.

The schedule:

Oct. 14: BIG BLUE MADNESS (SEC Network)

Oct. 21: BLUE-WHITE SCRIMMAGE (SEC Network)

Oct. 30: CLARION, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)

Nov. 6: ASBURY, 7 p.m. (SEC Network)

Nov. 11: STEPHEN F. AUSTIN

Nov. 13: CANISIUS

Nov. 15: Michigan State

Nov. 20: DUQUESNE

Nov. 23: CLEVELAND STATE

Nov. 25: TENNESSEEMARTIN

Nov. 28: Arizona State

Dec. 3: UCLA

Dec. 7: VALPARAISO

Dec. 11: Hofstra

Dec. 17: North Carolina

Dec. 21: at Louisville

Jan. 28: KANSAS

(Home games in caps.)