Kentucky coach John Calipari insisted he wanted to continue playing in Freedom Hall and that he wanted to play a marquee opponent that fans would want to see.
He got his wish, too, as UK will face Notre. Dame on Dec. 8 at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN in the second game of the SEC/Big East Invitational at Freedom Hall. The first game will pair Seton Hall against Arkansas, which is coached by Kentucky native John Pelphrey.
There was a time when a Kentucky-Notre Dame game in Freedom Hall was an annual event. The teams have played there 32 times, with UK holding a 23-9 edge — one reason then-Notre Dame coach Digger Phelps discontinued the series in 1988.
Kentucky leads the overall series 41-18.
The teams last met in 2009, when the Irish ended a 10-game losing streak to Kentucky by beating the Wildcats in the third round of the NIT in South Bend in what turned out to be then UK coach Billy Gillispie’s final game.
