Notre Dame has not yet released its nonconference schedule, but opponents are starting to leak out. Any game against a traditional blue blood sounds exciting until you realize how young and inexperienced this year’s Irish will be.
Nevertheless, the opportunity to play a program with a great tradition should be a thrill. If this social media post by Mercury-owned Blue Chips is to be believed, the Irish will get that opportunity against Kentucky at an undetermined neutral site on an undetermined date:
Kentucky’s 2023-24 Non-Conf 🏀 Schedule…
🔹 Kansas (Champions Classic)
🔹 vs Miami (SEC-ACC Challenge)
🔹 North Carolina (CBS Sports Classic)
🔹 vs Gonzaga
🔹 @ Louisville
🔹vs Illinois State
🔹 vs St. Joseph’s
🔹 vs Michigan* (TBD)
🔹 Notre Dame* (Neutral TBD) pic.twitter.com/YLXChZS4w4— Blue Chips (@UKBlueChips) August 8, 2023
These programs last met during a home-and-home between Lexington and South Bend in 2020 and 2021. The Irish won both games, the latter of which resulted in fans storming the Purcell Pavilion court and undoubtedly helped the Irish get into the NCAA Tournament. This iteration of the Irish will need everything to go right to extend the series winning streak to three.
If you want to relive some happier times for the Irish, check out some photos from Notre Dame and blue-blood Kentucky battling in recent (and some not so recent) years: