Saturday’s Kentucky men’s basketball game versus Ole Miss will start an hour earlier than originally planned due to the threat of a severe winter storm.
The game, still scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN, will now tip off at 11 a.m. Doors to Rupp Arena will open at 9:30 a.m.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for almost all of Kentucky. The NWS is calling for 4 to 10 inches of snow and sleet and up to a third of an inch of ice accumulation in areas south of Kentucky’s parkways. About 10 and 14 inches of snow are forecast for areas north of the parkways.
The warning starts at 1 a.m. Saturday and is expected to last until at least 7 a.m. on Monday. Snow is forecast to begin falling in Central Kentucky between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday.
In the announcement of the game time change, UK encouraged fans to be weather ready, plan accordingly and be safe. “The UK crisis management team, including emergency management and meteorology experts, continues to monitor, prepare and coordinate resources ahead of the incoming weather,” according to the news release.
Southeastern Conference policy is that any game that has to be postponed should be rescheduled for the next day, if at all possible. If extenuating circumstances prevent the game from being played the next day, the two schools must agree upon another date to reschedule the game. If the schools cannot agree on a date, the SEC commissioner can direct the time, date and location of the contest as necessary. A team’s refusal to play in a rescheduled contest as directed by the commissioner would be considered a forfeit, according to an SEC spokesman.
UK has not announced any alterations to the women’s basketball game against Georgia scheduled for noon on Sunday in Memorial Coliseum.
This story could be updated.
This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 5:46 PM.
Jon Hale
Lexington Herald-Leader
Jon Hale is the University of Kentucky football beat writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader. He joined the Herald-Leader in 2022 but has covered UK athletics for more than 10 years. Hale was named the 2021 Kentucky Sportswriter of the Year.
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