Season ticket renewals for the 2024-25 Kentucky men’s basketball season are now available to all season ticket holders.
Early renewal incentives will be available through Aug. 8. The renewal deadline is Thursday, Aug. 29.
“We have the greatest fans in the country, and we cannot wait to play in front of Big Blue Nation this season,” UK head coach Mark Pope said. “We are super thankful to our season-ticket holders and all our fans who make Rupp Arena the best home-court environment in all of sports. Our team is full of young men we all can be proud of, and we have spent the summer working hard, coming together as a team and preparing to chase No. 9.”
Season ticket holders will receive an email with instructions on how to renew tickets for the upcoming season. Renewals are now available online through each season ticket holder’s My UK Athletics Account. Invoices will also be mailed in August. Fans needing assistance with their online account are encouraged to contact the UK Ticket Office at (859) 257-1818 or send an email .
While Kentucky men’s basketball ticket prices have not risen anywhere in Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center since the 2019-20 season, most seating sections will see price increases for 2024-25. The areas where prices will go up are in the lower bowl, chairback areas of the upper bowl, and select bleacher areas in the upper bowl. Prices for most upper-level bleacher seats will remain unchanged.
With this year’s adjustments, nearly 80% of all season tickets will see either a 5% increase or no increase at all. The most significant adjustments are in the premium seating areas nearest the court, including the sideline risers, which were part of a new seat selection process this past spring, and in the first four permanent rows along both lower-level sidelines. In greater detail, price increases will break down as follows, and a new seating chart .
13% of season ticket holders will experience no increase
64% of season ticket holders will experience an approximate 5% increase
16% of season ticket holders will experience an approximate 12% increase
7% of season ticket holders will experience an approximate 25% or higher increase
UK Athletics remains committed to providing a variety of ticket options and maintaining a great home court advantage, while adjusting to market forces and the revenue growth required for the program to strive toward championships.
Season ticket pricing and per seat K Fund donations did not change for the last four years, dating to before the COVID Pandemic. Prices decreased by $50-$100 each behind the baskets and in select corner areas of the 200-level before the 2022-23 season.
With this season’s price changes, the lower level will expand from four to 10 price levels. K Fund donations will vary for each price level. The last K Fund adjustment on lower-level seats was prior to the 2014-2015 season.
Fans can visit UKathletics.com/MBBTix for updated ticket information. Ticket information for the State Farm Champions Classic, CBS Sports Classic, and SEC Tournament will be released to current season ticket holders at a later date via email.
Those who renew by Aug. 8 are eligible for incentive prizes including:
– Five bonus K Fund priority points.
– Two complimentary tickets to a home football game (fans may choose between Southern Miss, Ohio, and Murray State).
– Twenty lucky winners will receive two Big Blue Madness tickets.
Fans interested in purchasing new season tickets for the upcoming year are encouraged to sign up now for the men’s basketball season ticket lottery. For information on lower-level seating that is currently available with a K Fund pledge commitment, as well as information on premium club memberships, please reach out to the UK Athletics K Fund staff at (859) 257-6300.
“The passion that Big Blue Nation exhibits for Kentucky men’s basketball is a huge part of what makes our program special,” UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said. “We have been reminded of how extraordinary our fans are throughout this offseason. We thank Big Blue Nation for their ongoing support of our program and look forward to seeing them back in Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center this season.”
This year’s home schedule is highlighted by the ultra-competitive Southeastern Conference slate, in addition to the rivalry game against Louisville on Dec. 14 and early-season matchups with 2024 NCAA Tournament Teams WKU and Colgate.
In the SEC, the Wildcats will take on Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, LSU, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Tennessee and Vanderbilt in Rupp Arena. The full schedule, along with television networks and game times, will be announced at a later date.
Pope and his staff have put together a dynamic roster that features a mix of six fifth-year players, one senior, one junior, one sophomore and three freshmen.
UK’s veterans have combined to play in 845 collegiate games and have scored nearly 8,000 career points. Ansley Almonor, Lamont Butler, Andrew Carr and Amari Williams are all 1,000-point scorers. The group has also drained 1,033 career 3-pointers at a 37.0% rate.
Butler and Williams were named their league’s defensive player of the year, while Koby Brea and Jaxson Robinson have been tabbed a conference’s sixth man of the year in their career and Almonor was a most improved selection. Brandon Garrison is a former McDonald’s All-American. Kerr Kriisa has played in 99 career games and has made 238 3-pointers, while Otega Oweh has seen action in 60 games and was Oklahoma’s second-leading scorer a season ago.
Kentucky’s freshmen group includes Travis Perry and Trent Noah from the state of Kentucky and Collin Chandler, a former top-35 signee in the class of 2022. Perry is the state’s all-time leading scorer, while Noah broke the Sweet 16 state record for most 3-pointers drained in a single run with 19 this season.
Kerr Kriisa finally giving Mark Pope a chance to coach him
Three times proved to be the charm in Mark Pope’s attempts to land point guard Kerr Kriisa.LEXINGTON – Mark Pope attempted to land point guard Kerr Kriisa twice at BYU. Once when he was a four-star prospect out of Estonia and again in the transfer portal after he spent three times at Arizona. Pope went 0-for-2.
Once, he was named the head coach at Kentucky in April; however, Kriisa simply waited for the phone call as he once again entered the portal after a year at West Virginia, looking for a home to play his final season of college basketball.
“I was like, man, screw it, I might as well give him a chance,” Kriisa joked Thursday. “I had the school kind of made up where I wanted to go, but then when coach got hired here, I kind of had to hold it back because I was kind of hoping for that call and play to play for coach Pope and obviously this special university.
“It shows their loyalty. Obviously, I gave them chances, but I never made the full commitment to play for him and maybe I did them a little bit dirty. It’s just the fact that I’m going into my third portal or whatever and he still calls me. At this point, let’s do it like, alright, what are we talking about? Let’s just get it done and let’s get to work.”
The marriage was a long time coming as UK assistant Cody Fueger who followed Pope to Lexington from BYU was the very first college head coach to contact Kriisa out of Estonia.
“Coach Fueger was actually the first coach to ever call me about colleges,” Kriisa said. “It’s a crazy full circle moment for me that going into my last year of college, I can actually play for the coaches who were the first ones ever to reach out to me because I never really thought about going into college, and then some things changed overseas and then I started to think about college a bit more and then Cody was the first one. So it’s special.”
It’s easy to see why Pope has pursued Krissa so hard over the years.
Kriisa is a perfect scheme fit for Pope’s three-point-heavy offense.
He is a career 36.8 percent three-point shooter and last season shot a career-best 42.4 percent from deep at West Virginia, shooting 61-for-144 from beyond the arc.
He also has experience playing in a similar scheme from his three seasons at Arizona.
“I played a similar style at Arizona with coach Tommy Lloyd,” Kriisa said. “It’s a good throwback, I guess. I had great years in Arizona with the similar style that we played there, so it’s kind of just reminding myself of the stuff that we used to do there.”
Kriisa plays with an edge that not many in the country provide.
“All I can say is, Big Blue Nation, you are welcome. Enjoy,” Pope said speaking of the edge that Kriisa plays with.
During the 2022 FIBA World Cup qualifiers, Kriisa jawed with five-time NBA All-Star Luka Doncic and, after the game, was quoted saying, “It’s pretty easy to get into his head.”
At Kentucky, he’ll wear Doncic’s No. 77, a number he claims the Dallas Mavericks star stole from him.
Where does that edge come from?
“As a 6-foot-2 guard, you gotta have some shit to you,” Kriisa said. “It’s so competitive. There are always young guys coming up, and if you’re being soft, you get pushed away and then you’re out of this business really quickly.”
While Kriisa comes to Lexington with an edge, he also understands how humbling it will be to play at Kentucky.
“It’s freaking Kentucky. It’s not Duke. It’s Kentucky it’s different,” Kriisa said.
Pope said in his introductory press conference that he wanted players who would play for the name on the front of the jersey before the one on the back. With Kriisa, he gets that, as well as a perfect scheme fit and an edge. That makes it abundantly clear why he’s attempted to recruit the Estonia native over and over again.
College football transfer portal: Where top 20 quarterbacks landed ahead of 2024 season
Dillon Gabriel and other elite signal-callers will define the upcoming campaign.
Quarterbacks are the foundation of any good college football team, and given the extreme demand for a capable starter, signal-callers fly off the shelves during every transfer portal window. The best of them typically rank at or near the top of the transfer rankings, and that was no different during the 2024 cycle as young, promising prospects like Julian Sayin, Aidan Chiles and Dante Moore headlined the class.
Teams that whiff on the recruiting trail, lose their starters to the transfer portal or are forced to reload after their stars depart for the NFL are typically the most active on the transfer market. That was the case this offseason as Ohio State, Oregon and Florida State were among the biggest buyers of the cycle.
Not every transfer quarterback will be a success story this year, but there is plenty of precedent for signal-callers to thrive or break through at their new schools. Look no further than last year’s group of Caleb Williams, Michael Penix Jr., Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix, to name a few first-round picks.
Below are the destinations for college football’s top 20 transfer quarterbacks.
20. GRAYSON MCCALL, NC STATE
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 90 Rating | No. 120 Overall | No. 20 QB
Former School: Coastal Carolina
Spring game performances are by no means the ultimate indicator of a quarterback’s season outlook, but Grayson McCall appeared to be a perfect fit in the NC State offense during his debut live showing. He went 16-of-20 for 205 yards and a touchdown in that scrimmage, indicating that his game could translate beautifully to the power conference level. McCall was a three-time Sun Belt Player of the Year during his remarkable Coastal Carolina career and looks like one of the best signal-callers in the ACC.
19. MAX BROSMER, MINNESOTA
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 90 Rating | No. 118 Overall | No. 19 QB
Former School: New Hampshire
The leap from the FCS to the FBS often comes with a significant learning curve, but if Max Brosmer ironed that out in time to hit the 2024 season running, he could be an upgrade at the position for Minnesota. The Golden Gophers need more consistent play in the passing game in order to avoid a continued slide towards the bottom of the conference, and the former New Hampshire star could offer that if he reaches his ceiling. Brosmer was the top FCS transfer quarterback in this year’s cycle after he posted a 70-25 touchdown-to-interception ratio with the Wildcats.
18. BRENDAN SORSBY, CINCINNATI
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 90 Rating | No. 116 Overall | No. 18 QB
Former School: Indiana
That Cincinnati did not take a quarterback to Big 12 Media Days is indicative of where that room stands just one month ahead of the season opener. Brendan Sorsby has to beat longtime backup Brady Lichtenberg first, but assuming the newcomer lands the starting job, he could be in line for the most extensive playing time of his career. He flashed potential last season at Indiana when he logged a three-touchdown effort at Penn State in his first career road start and posted a five-touchdown performance later in the year at Illinois. Still, Sorsby has just seven career starts and holds a career completion rate of 57.7%.
17. TYLER VAN DYKE, WISCONSIN
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 90 Rating | No. 114 Overall | No. 17 QB
Former School: Miami
Tyler Van Dyke plateaued at Miami, struggling over the last two years to recapture the magic he produced in 2021 as one of the ACC’s most exciting young quarterbacks. Sometimes a change of scenery is all it takes for a player to rebound, and few landing spots would have catered better to his potential bounce-back than Wisconsin. Van Dyke and Phil Longo’s aerial assault are an ideal fit, and with the Badgers, the fourth-year signal-caller could finally deliver the 3,000-yard campaign that eluded him over the last two years with the Hurricanes.
16. WILL ROGERS, WASHINGTON
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 90 Rating | No. 110 Overall | No. 16 QB
Former School: Mississippi State
It is an odd thing for the SEC’s all-time completions leader and the Mississippi State program record-holder for passing yards and touchdowns to enter his final year of eligibility with numerous question marks, but such is the case for Will Rogers. Many wrote him off as a system quarterback who struggled in a post-Air Raid era for the Bulldogs, but Rogers is on the verge of silencing those doubters with a bounce-back year at Washington. Mississippi State dramatically underutilized his talent last season, and he now gets an opportunity to develop under a noted quarterback guru in Jedd Fisch. The return to prominence is near.
15. MALACHI NELSON, BOISE STATE
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 91 Rating | No. 102 Overall | No. 15 QB
Former School: USC
Malachi Nelson is the lone five-star prospect from the 2023 class set to play his sophomore season at the Group of Five level. Boise State is a nice rebound spot for the former prized quarterback, who once looked to be USC’s signal-caller of the future. The Broncos handing the keys to their offense to a player who would have ranked as the program’s highest-rated recruit of all time had he joined the team out of high school is a low-risk proposition that could pay huge dividends if Nelson taps into his potential.
14. KYLE MCCORD, SYRACUSE
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 91 Rating | No. 80 Overall | No. 14 QB
Former School: Ohio State
Kyle McCord was a serviceable option at Ohio State and led the Buckeyes to another strong season, but the offense left a lot on the table without the elite talent under center it became accustomed to throughout the Ryan Day era. McCord was the most prized pickup in a notable Syracuse transfer class after he brought his Ohio State career to a close, and if he improves upon the 66% completion rate, 3,170 yards and 24 touchdowns he logged last year, the Orange could make plenty of noise in the ACC.
13. DJ UIAGALELEI, FLORIDA STATE
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 91 Rating | No. 79 Overall | No. 13 QB
Former School: Oregon State
A resurgent year at Oregon State put DJ Uiagalelei back on the right track after he fell out of favor to an extent at Clemson. Consistency and downfield accuracy remain the knocks against the former five-star recruit’s game, but he took steps forward in those departments with the Beavers and earned another shot in the ACC, where he landed on a roster capable of making a conference title and College Football Playoff run. The key to unlocking the best version of Uiagalelei is for the Seminoles to have a couple of receivers step up in a room that underwent major offseason turnover.
12. DILLON GABRIEL, OREGON
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 91 Rating | No. 77 Overall | No. 12 QB
Former School: Oklahoma
It is hard to picture Dillon Gabriel walking away empty handed from college football’s 2024 awards season. He leaped Georgia’s Carson Beck to become the betting favorite for the Heisman Trophy, and he is a prime candidate to lead the nation in passing this season given that he finished in the top 10 last year and landed in a high-octane Oregon system that should get the most out of him. The southpaw is an ultra-experienced quarterback who has all of the weapons around him necessary to close his college career with a bang.
11. DEQUAN FINN, BAYLOR
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 91 Rating | No. 75 Overall | No. 11 QB
Former School: Toledo
The 2023 MAC Player of the Year earned a promotion to the power conference level as Dequan Finn capitalized on a stellar final year at Toledo with an invitation to become the starter at Baylor. He closed the spring transfer cycle as the nation’s No. 11 quarterback prospect. Finn accounted for at least 2,000 passing yards and 500 rushing yards in each of his first three years as a starter and therefore brings consistency and a veteran presence to a Baylor team in desperate need of a rebound season.
10. JADEN RASHADA, GEORGIA
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 69 Overall | No. 10 QB
Former School: Arizona State
The whirlwind that is the Jaden Rashada experience took the signal-caller to Georgia this offseason as a premier spring window target. While he remains part of a lawsuit stemming from his initial recruitment — which featured a high-profile NIL situation at Florida, a decommitment and his eventual signing with Arizona State — the on-field product is still a year away from rounding into form. The former top-50 recruit will develop behind Carson Beck on the Georgia depth chart this year before potentially rising to the starting lineup in 2025.
9. AUSTIN MACK, ALABAMA
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 67 Overall | No. 9 QB
Former School: Washington
Alabama might have found its quarterback of the future in Austin Mack, who followed Kalen DeBoer from Washington and offers tremendous potential as a Jalen Milroe replacement down the line. Mack was the No. 8 quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class and likely would have contended for the starting job with the Huskies had the coaching staff and roster not completely fallen apart. Mack reclassified during his recruitment and was still extremely young at the beginning of his Alabama career (17 years old during spring camp), so further development would go a long way in preparing him to take the reins.
8. RILEY LEONARD, NOTRE DAME
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 44 Overall | No. 8 QB
Former School: Duke
Injuries are a concern for transfer quarterback Riley Leonard, who missed time last season with an ankle injury and sat for much of the spring on the heels of two offseason surgeries. At full strength, though, the new Notre Dame signal-caller has some of the best dual-threat tools in the land. There are no questions on the other side of the ball as Notre Dame brings a defense loaded with stars into the 2024 season, but in order for the Irish to fully capitalize on playoff expansion, Leonard has to both stay on the field and be a game-changer.
7. WILL HOWARD, OHIO STATE
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 92 Rating | No. 41 Overall | No. 7 QB
Former School: Kansas State
Ohio State has star power at essentially every position ahead of the 2024 season, and for that reason, the Buckeyes are an easy pick to win the national title. In order to get the most out of the offensive skill position talent, though, Will Howard has to prove to be more of a difference-maker at quarterback than Kyle McCord was for the Buckeyes last season. If Howard emerges as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, this team could be untouchable.
6. MAALIK MURPHY, DUKE
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 93 Rating | No. 40 Overall | No. 6 QB
Former School: Texas
Former Texas quarterback Maalik Murphy is the cornerstone of Duke’s rebuild under new head coach Manny Diaz, and he is a strong building block for the Blue Devils’ offense given his raw talent and the key starting experience he picked up midway through last season. Murphy has one of the most powerful arms in college football, and while his accuracy left a bit to be desired during his fill-in action atop the Longhorns’ offense, he displayed immense potential during his time in Austin as an extremely highly regarded backup.
5. BROCK VANDAGRIFF, KENTUCKY
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 93 Rating | No. 37 Overall | No. 5 QB
Former School: Georgia
Brock Vandagriff was the No. 5 quarterback prospect in the 2021 recruiting class but never cracked the starting lineup at Georgia across three years with the program. He was effective in limited mop-up duty last season with a 12-of-18 completion line, 165 yards and two touchdowns, but the path to playing time never quite surfaced during his time in a strong quarterback room. Vandagriff finally has a starting job at Kentucky, where he turned heads across his first few months and now gets a chance to prove why he was so highly regarded out of high school.
4. CAM WARD, MIAMI
Transfer Profile: 4-Star | 94 Rating | No. 14 Overall | No. 4 QB
Former School: Washington State
Whether Miami allows Cam Ward to air it out at the same rate he did at Washington State remains to be seen, but even without 485 passing attempts, the sport’s returning passing leader should be in for another explosive season. Offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson was part of the original Air Raid under Hal Mumme and still employs many of the same schematics in his modernized version of the system, so Ward should get plenty of opportunities to showcase his NFL-bound arm, even if prized transfer running back Damien Martinez cuts into his workload. The offensive line should be among the nation’s best, and Ward’s efficiency will benefit greatly.
3. DANTE MOORE, OREGON
Dante Moore is only one year removed from his billing as an elite recruit, and with so much eligibility ahead of him, he ranks as a top-10 transfer with just about as much upside as he brought into his freshman year at UCLA. The former Oregon commit now joins the Ducks with an opportunity to refine his skills in a backup role as part of one of college football’s top quarterback rooms, and that developmental process should allow him to become a premier starter for the 2025 season. Patience in Moore is key after a rough debut campaign in which he threw 11 touchdowns to nine interceptions.
2. AIDAN CHILES, MICHIGAN STATE
Michigan State got a package deal when it hired Jonathan Smith. The former Oregon State head coach brought with him a touted young transfer quarterback in Aidan Chiles, who impressed in his limited but productive action last season. The prized recruit made five appearances with the Beavers, often handling the third offensive series of each game. He completed 69% of his passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns in that backup role. Chiles is likely a plug-and-play starter for the Spartans after they lost their top three quarterbacks from the 2023 campaign.
1. JULIAN SAYIN, OHIO STATE
Julian Sayin is a rare example of a college football player who entered the transfer portal before his freshman season. The five-star recruit and No. 3 quarterback in the 2024 class enrolled early at Alabama but elected to leave the program when Nick Saban retired, committing shortly thereafter to Ohio State. Sayin has the makings of the next great Buckeyes quarterback but will have plenty of competition for the starting job in the years to come. Iron sharpens iron in this program, so a rise to the top of the college football quarterback ladder is well within the realm of possibility.