John Calipari has purchased 2,000 tickets for Kentucky students to attend the Kentucky Cares Classic exhibition game vs. Morehead State on Monday.
Here’s a release from UK:
It’s rare for two Division I teams to play in a public setting for an exhibition game, so Kentucky head coach John Calipari wants to make sure all the UK students who want to go to it will have the opportunity to do so.
In an interview on Kentucky Sports Radio on Tuesday morning, Coach Cal announced he has purchased 2,000 tickets for Kentucky students so they can attend the Kentucky Cares Classic between No. 4 UK and Morehead State on Monday for free.
“And if more want to come I’ll buy more,” he said. “But I’m buying tickets for our students.”
Student tickets can be picked up at the UK Ticket Office on Thursday and Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. with a valid UK student ID. Students will be able to receive two tickets per ID.
The NCAA granted a special waiver so the Wildcats can play an exhibition game against the Eagles with all funds raised by the game going to those affected by the devastating hurricanes in Florida and Puerto Rico and wildfires in California.
Net proceeds from the game will go to Team Rubicon, a non-government 501(c)(3) organization that unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams. Team Rubicon is currently active in Florida in response to hurricanes in Florida and Puerto Rico and is soon to begin work in response to wildfires in California.
“I love the fact that it’s for charity,” Calipari said. “It gets us to leverage our programs and all that we do to give back. I mean, right now, what’s going on in Puerto Rico, and still in Houston, and still in Florida, and what about these wildfires and people burned out of – I mean, we have a chance to come together.”
The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET tip on Monday and will not be televised. If fans want to see the young Wildcats play against a Division I opponent, they’ll have to be at Rupp Arena.
“Like, unless I give you the video tape I’m going to be watching, you’re not going to see this game unless you’re in the building,” Coach Cal said. “So, if you really want to see us – if you’re a Morehead fan too – buy the tickets.”
Calipari said there are still plenty of great non-student tickets available for fans to purchase as well, ranging from $10-100. Tickets are on sale online at Ticketmaster.com and by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000. Fans may also purchase in person at the Rupp Arena box office. A full breakdown of the ticket pricing is below.
· Lower premium – $100
· Lower sideline – $50
· Lower corner/end – $30
· 200-Level sideline (first 12 rows) – $20
· 200-Level standard – $10“There are tickets in the lower bowl that you can never get. Ever,” Calipari said. “The midcourt seats are like $100 and there’s a few left. There’s not many of those. The end zone seats down low are ($30), you can get those. You can sit for $10 upstairs. All the money is going to charity. It doesn’t go to us. That money is going to charity, and it is going to be used for those causes.”
Additionally, courtside seating is now available to the public by calling the UK Ticket Office (859-257-1818) or the K Fund Office (859-257-6300). Courtside seats for the Kentucky Cares Classic cost $250 per seat.
Calipari also said fans who cannot make it to the game but still want to make a donation can do so by texting KYCARES to 87872.
Morehead State is led by former Kentucky staff member Preston Spradlin, who is entering his first full season as head coach of the in-state school. Spradlin joined MSU as an assistant during the 2014-15 season before taking over as the interim head coach in December.
“I’m excited about it,” Calipari said. “I’m not sure we’re ready to play a Division I game. We have a game Friday and we’ll see where we are. Against a Division I opponent we’ll see.”
