< PreviousSponsored By Kellan Grady says UK needs to focus on one game at-a-time beginning with St. Peter’s. 10 @KentuckyMBB©2021 The Coca-Cola Company. Proud partner of12 @KentuckyMBB T he University of Kentucky men's basket- ball team extended its national record for most NCAA Tournament appearances to 59 on Sunday, as the team was selected as the No. 2 seed in the East Region. The Wild- cats will play Saint Peter's, the region's No. 15 seed, on Thursday in Indianapolis. Tipoff is set for 7:10 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on CBS. This is the eighth time in program histo- ry Kentucky has earned a No. 2 seed since tourney seedings began in 1980. In its most recent NCAA appearance, the Cats partic- ipated as the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region of the 2019 tournament, defeating Abilene Christian, Wofford and Houston before losing to Auburn in overtime in the regional finals. Ranked No. 8 in the nation at the end of the 2020 regular season, UK undoubtedly would have been in that tour- ney had it been played, but the event was cancelled because of the Covid pandemic. The Wildcats did not earn a bid for the 2021 tournament. Kentucky finished the 2021-22 regular season with a 26-7 record, the 39th season in school history that the Wildcats have won at least 25 games, and the 11th time in 13 seasons under Coach John Calipari. Kentucky tied for second in the South- eastern Conference with a 14-4 mark, one game behind league champion Auburn. In the SEC Tournament, UK defeated Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals before falling to eventual tourney champ Tennessee is the semis. In addition to most appearances, Ken- tucky holds the NCAA Tournament records for most games played (181) and most wins (129). The Cats own a 129-52 all-time re- cord in NCAA action, with their .713 win- ning percentage the fourth-best in NCAA history (min. 20 games). Looking ahead to Thursday's matchup, Kentucky is 48-10 in NCAA Tournament openers and has won 25 of its last 26 open- ing-round games. Kentucky is set to play Saint Peter's for the first time in school history. Saint Peter's is coming off a 60-54 win over Monmouth on Saturday in the championship of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tourna- ment. SPU is 19-11 on the season and the Peacocks finished in second place of the regular-season MAAC standings with a 14-6 league mark. Saint Peter's is led by junior guard Dar- yl Banks III, who is averaging 11 points per game. Senior forward KC Ndefo averages 10.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Ju- nior guard Doug Edert averages 9.3 points. The leading rebounder is junior forward Fousseyni Drame at 6.8 boards per contest and he scores 7.2 ppg. If Kentucky defeats Saint Peter's, the Wildcats would face the winner of the No. 7 Murray State (30-2) and No. 10 San Francis- co (24-9). UK has never faced Murray State, while the Wildcats have played San Francis- co once, a 110-93 home win on Dec. 28, 1993. Ticket information Tickets for the first and second round games in Indianapolis can be purchased by visiting NCAA.com/MBBTickets. Fans will find complete ticket information for all NCAA sites, including information on the NCAA Ticket Exchange (NCAA.com/Ex- change), the official secondary marketplace for authentic NCAA Tournament tickets. UK receives a limited number of tickets from the NCAA for postseason play. Eligible K Fund members who requested first and second round tickets in advance of Selec- tion Sunday will receive a confirmation email on Monday, March 14 from the UK Ticket Office with information on whether or not the request has been fulfilled. More information about requesting tick- ets for later rounds of the NCAA Tournament is available here and will be updated as Kentucky advances. Student tickets will not be available for first and second round games, and informa- tion for later rounds will be available at UK- StudentTix.com as it is finalized. From Press RowGet Fresh Game Day Faves with FREE Pickup * Shop on our app. Official Grocery Partner of UK Athletics *Free pickup on orders of $35 or more. Restrictions may apply. FRESH FOR EVERYONE ™Thank You to Our CORNERSTONE PARTNERS OFFICIAL BANK OF UK ATHLETICSNE16 @KentuckyMBB M ore than just iconic architecture paint- ed against the skyline of one of Ameri- ca’s fastest-growing cities, Gainbridge Field- house pulses with energy and invites us in to visit with the spirits from all those Where Were You When moments that wrap us up in true Hoosier Hospitality. It anchors the downtown and is a welcoming place for visitors and locals alike to relive some of the magical events that put Indianapolis on the map. Its history is the history of our city and state, of our rightful position as the cradle of basketball and our maturation into a cultur- al center in the Midwest. The Fieldhouse is certainly the best place in the NBA to watch a basketball game. That’s undeniable as it is fitting, of course, since We Grow Basketball. But like its home city, it is so much more than the game we love. While the distinct exterior design of the Fieldhouse is a quaint and appropriate homage to the fieldhouse gymnasiums that still pepper Indiana towns, the state-of-the- art facility has become a premier venue for more than 2 million guests attending 550 live performances, concerts, conventions, and games every year. This includes the na- tional FFA convention, the Big Ten Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments, ro- deos, ice skating performances, high school athletics championships, and more. And unlike so many professional sports and per- formance venues, Gainbridge Fieldhouse prides itself on being a true community as- set that belongs to all of us. Directions For guests using GPS, please type in the following address for directions to Gain- bridge Fieldhouse: 125 S. Pennsylvania St. Indianapolis, IN 46204 Parking From garages to street parking, there are several parking options throughout down- town Indianapolis within walking distance to Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Virginia Av- enue Parking Garage located on the north- east corner of the building offers the closest covered parking option. The garage is con- nected to the Fieldhouse via covered sky bridge on the third floor. The entrance to the Virginia Avenue Garage is located off Mary- land Street. Denison manages a number of park- ing facilities in the downtown area, and can share information that will make your experience an enjoyable one. For specif- ic information related to bus parking near the Fieldhouse, contact Denison Parking at (317) 916-1760. You may also purchase in- dividual parking passes in advance at select locations via ParkWhiz by clicking below. What to Know Before You Go n Bags, backpacks, large purses are prohibited. Small clutch-style purses are allowed and may not be larger than 6”x9”x1.5” n Management discretion is allowed for diaper bags and medical bags n No Professional Cameras or Detachable Lenses. No IPads, Tablets, Selfie sticks, GoPro’s n No signs larger than 11"x17" are permitted at this event. n Stay home if you feel sick n Masks Optional n Save ticket to mobile wallet before arriving 2022 1st & 2nd Rounds: Gainbridge Fieldhouse CLICK TO BUY TICKETS18 @KentuckyMBB I ndianapolis has a diversified economy with major contributions from education, health care and finance. Tourism is also a vital part of the economy as the city plays host to numerous conventions and sporting events such as the Indianapolis 500. Other major sporting events include the Brickyard 400 and the Men’s and Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournaments. Indianapolis has a wide variety of museums and galleries which appeal to art lovers, car enthusiasts, sports fans, history buffs and people inter- ested in science and technology. The city is also home to numerous higher education institutions, including Ball State University, Butler University, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Communi- ty College of Indiana, Marian University and Martin University, among others. Events such as the Indianapolis 500 is an automobile race held annually at Indianap- olis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. The event is held over Memorial Day week- end, which is typically the last weekend in May. Indianapolis is home to several top tier Universities that are known around the na- tion. Indiana University-Purdue University (IUPUI) is known for housing two of Indi- ana’s top universities. It was this commit- ment that was behind the merger of the Indi- anapolis campuses and programs of Indiana University and Purdue University—some of which are more than 100 years old—that won accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission in 1969, thus creating IUPUI. Students are drawn to IUPUI for many rea- sons, but the number one reason is because of its location in downtown Indianapolis. Butler University is a sought out private uni- versity in Indianapolis as well. Founded in 1855, and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study in six colleges. The most favored hot spot in Indianapo- lis is Circle Center. With over 125 shopping, dining and entertainment options, nowhere will you find more choices than at Circle Centre. Conveniently located in downtown, this four-level indoor mall features Carson Pirie Scott, H&M, Finish Line, Express, and many more. If it’s a night out on the town you are looking for, Circle Centre has fine dining options including Harry & Izzy’s, Ruth’s Chris, and P.F. Chang’s. Consider making it dinner and a movie at the Circle Centre United Artist Movie Theater. Circle Center holds several options to keep people busy and happy when they visit. Furthermore, Indy has every kind of event from the Indiana Comic Con to Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre. Seasonal events such as the family friendly Hop to the Prop Easter Egg Hunt and Breakfast with the Eas- ter Bunny are examples of seasonal events that take place in April. Into arts and mu- sic? Indy offers events such as Butler’s Arts- fest and the iconic Vogue Theatre. Starting in 1938, The Vogue opened as Indy’s first air-conditioned movie theater. It operated as such until 1977 when it was converted into a nightclub. Since then, The Vogue has been awarded “Best Place to Hear Live Mu- sic” and “Indy’s Best Dance Club” time and time again. The Murat Theatre at Old Na- tional Centre is another favorable place that hosts live concerts, dance performances by renowned professional dance companies, and even presents musical theatre perfor- mances. Perhaps the most kid friendly places in- clude the Indianapolis Zoo, the Indianapolis Museum of Art, and the infamous Children’s Museum. The Indianapolis Zoo is a 64-acre accredited zoo, aquarium, and botanical garden. Fifteen minutes north of Monument Cir- cle is the Indianapolis Museum of Art, one of the nation’s largest and oldest general art museums. Located on 152 acres of gardens and grounds, the museum’s permanent col- lection spans a vast range of cultures and eras, and numbers more than 50,000 works, including one of the nation’s largest and most significant collections of Asian art, the newly designed Eiteljorg Suite of African and Oceanic Art, along with so many other equally impressive features. Finally, The Children’s Museum of Indi- anapolis features five floors of fun and in- teractive learning that have the power to transform the lives of children and families across the arts, world cultures, sciences, and humanities. The City of Indianapolis, Indiana Click here for things to do in Indianapolis.ldly Possible ldly Possible Now accepting applications for Fall 2022. applyuk.com There are moments when doors of opportunity open. Moments when barriers are broken. Moments when you are called to provide hope for someone in need. Moments when you harness something deep within you that you didn’t know existed. Moments when you’re drawn to a cause greater than yourself. Moments when champions are born. These are the moments when nothing else matters. Moments made possible at the University of Kentucky. This is who we are. This is what we do. WE ARE WHAT’SNext >