Three must-win games on Kentucky's 2024-25 schedule

These three games will be circled on Kentucky's schedule this season.

Jan 6, 2018; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes and Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari before the game at Thompson-Boling Arena. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images / Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

We're just a month away from the start of college basketball, with Big Blue Madness on October 11. With that, new Kentucky head coach Mark Pope will be looking to make his mark in his first season in Lexington. He has certainly brought a much needed energy to the fanbase, and is one of the reasons they are excited about the upcoming season.

Let's take a look at a couple of must-win games for the Wildcats on their schedule this season.

1. Arkansas

This is an easy one to pick for a must-win game. A lot of storylines with this one, as former Kentucky coach John Calipari left Lexington for Arkansas back in April. Calipari will be welcomed back into Rupp Arena on February 1 along with some of the signees and players he had when at Kentucky. Those players include former Wildcats Boogie Fland, Karter Knox, DJ Wagner, Billy Richmond, Adou Thiero, Zvonimir Ivisic, and Kareem Watkins. This is already a highly-anticipated matchup, and plenty of national eyes will be on this one.

2. Louisville

Having the Louisville Cardinals as a must-win on the schedule is a no-brainer given the intensity of the rivalry. Both programs will be welcoming in new coaches, and both are feeling some new energy injected into their programs. Kentucky will welcome in beloved former player Mark Pope, who knows all about the pressure of being at Kentucky. Louisville is bringing in Pat Kelsey, who has the fanbase hopeful to get back to their standard as a program. It will be an exciting game, and one Kentucky has to win this season, especially for the morale of the fanbase. A rivalry game is always a must-win.

3. Tennessee

Another rivalry game, the Kentucky-Tennessee matchup is always very physical and intense. Rick Barnes and the Volunteers have put up a fight against the Wildcats, as the series between the two has been nearly back-and-forth. Last season in particular, the season was split. In the first meeting, Tennessee got the best of Kentucky by a score of 103-92, before the Wildcats pulled off the big road win to end the season in Knoxville 85-81. Kentucky will have a lot of experience this season, and their veterans will clash with that of Tennessee, who is returning plenty of experience.

One game that wasn't mentioned is Duke, which is going to be a major early season test for the experienced Kentucky roster going up against a Duke team that has the No. 1 player in 2024, Cooper Flagg, along with some of the other top freshmen in the nation and some returning players. There is a lot of opportunities on the table in Mark Pope's first season at Kentucky.