Kentucky, then Duke: Utah Valley opens with a brutal double

By AP
Published

OREM, Utah (AP) Utah Valley is calling it perhaps the toughest 24 hours of basketball in NCAA history.

The Wolverines say they will play at bluebloods Kentucky and Duke on back-to-back days to open the season. They'll visit Rupp Arena in Lexington on Nov. 10, then head to Cameron Indoor Stadium to play the following day.

In announcing the games Thursday, coach Mark Pope says it ''is what college basketball is supposed to be.''

The brutal back-to-back games create a couple of homecomings for the coaching staff. Pope played at Kentucky in the 1990s and helped the Wildcats win the 1996 national title under Rick Pitino. Assistant Chris Burgess played two seasons at Duke in the late '90s.