Last season SEC play didn’t go great for Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats. Pope’s team went 10-8 in SEC play with some really ugly losses. Kentucky hasn’t won an SEC Regular Season Title or SEC Tournament since the pandemic, and it is time for that to change. Today the SEC schedule was announced for the Wildcats, and Pope has a very manageable schedule that should help this team get off to a hot start. Big Blue Nation would love to see the Wildcats go 13-5 or better, and knowing the roster Pope has plus the schedule, I do believe this is out there. Let’s take a look at Kentucky’s full SEC schedule. 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 ConnectKentucky Basketball 2027 SEC Schedule@Oklahoma- January 2ndVs. Ole Miss- January 5th or 6th @Missouri- January 9thVs. LSU- January 12th or 13thVs. Vanderbilt- January 16th @Mississippi State- January 19th or 20th Vs. Tennessee- January 23rd@Texas- January 30th @Ole Miss- February 2nd or 3rdVs. Alabama- February 6thVs. South Carolina- February 9th or 10th@Tennessee- February 13th @Georgia- February 16th or 17th Vs. Arkansas- February 20th @Vanderbilt- February 23rd or 34thVs. Auburn- February 27thVs. Texas A&M- March 2nd or 3rd@Florida- March 6thMar 13, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno (24) goes around Florida Gators center Rueben Chinyelu (9) during the second half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectKentucky should be favored in all six, potentially seven, of their first games this year in SEC play. This means that it will be very important for Pope’s team to get out to fast start. If they start 6-1 or 7-0, it could be the start of something special in Lexington. The middle stretch of games is going to be tough for the Wildcats. Tennessee twice, a matchup with a Texas team most expect to be elite, and Alabama coming to town, a team that Pope can’t seem to beat. The other two games in this stretch are a road matchup with Ole Miss and welcoming the South Carolina Gamecocks to town. If the Wildcats went 4-2 or 3-3 in this stretch, they would be in a good spot to have that 13-5 or better record in SEC play. It is imperative that the Wildcats have a good record in SEC play this season to set up a good seed in the NCAA Tournament. BBN would also love to see the Wildcats get SEC Tournament play kicked off on Friday this season. It would be great if the Wildcats' matchup against Florida was for the SEC on the last game of the regular season. Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and YouTube for the latest news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow