Southern University

Athletics 8/25/2021 11:30:00 AM Rodney Kirschner Senior Associate Athletics Director | Director of Media Relations | Sports Information Director

Southern Men's Basketball to visit Kentucky in the Inaugural Unity Series

BATON ROUGE, LA. – The Southern men's basketball team will visit the University of Kentucky on Dec. 7 in Rupp Arena as a part of the inaugural Unity Series with the Southwestern Athletic Conference and University of Kentucky.

The five-year series will feature annual games against schools from the SWAC, which is made up of historically black colleges and universities. Beginning in 2021 and concluding in 2025, the games will seek to raise awareness of the missions of the HBCUs and to raise funds to provide opportunities for students at their institutions.

In the week leading up to the game each year, the Unity Series will feature educational and networking opportunities at UK and SWAC institutions. Campus leaders from Kentucky and SWAC schools will host virtual panels and leadership workshops available to students at all institutions that tackle current issues in multiple disciplines and highlight on-campus educational opportunities. In addition to these panels and workshops, the institutions will provide resources for students to learn more about internships, career planning and networking.

"I am really proud of our leadership for identifying an opportunity to take what we do on the basketball court and leverage it into an annual weeklong event that will have a major impact on HBCUs and their students," UK head coach John Calipari said. "My hope is this event not only opens the door for opportunities for students at HBCUs, but that others at our school and across the country will take advantage of the educational opportunities that we will put together to continue the meaningful conversations and changes that have taken place over the last year."

The week will culminate with the annual game in Rupp Arena.

"The Southwestern Athletic Conference is extremely excited to partner with the University of Kentucky men's basketball program on unifying initiatives that will significantly raise the overall awareness of the missions of our 12 member institutions and HBCUs as a whole," said SWAC Commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland. "The educational and networking opportunities this partnership will provide our students and student-athletes undoubtedly goes well beyond the game of basketball. We're looking forward to doing our part to make this innovative strategic plan a success. We would like to thank the University of Kentucky Athletics Department's leadership along with Coach Calipari and his staff for making this very worthy initiative a reality."

The Unity Series game is the latest addition to Southern's nonconference schedule that is expected to be announced in full soon.

The matchup with Kentucky will also be a reunion of sorts for Head Coach Sean Woods and former UK player. Woods is a UK Athletics Hall of Famer and is the program's all-time leader in career assists per game (5.3) and was the program leader in career steals per game (1.582) at the conclusion of his career.

Woods led Kentucky in assists in his three seasons of action but he particularly shined during the memorable 1992 season. After helping UK win the Southeastern Conference regular-season and tournament titles that season, he played a key part in UK's run to the East Regional finals. The 1992 All-Regional Team selection recorded 21 points, nine assists and scored the go-ahead basket with 2.1 seconds left vs. Duke in what many consider the greatest college basketball game of all time. The Blue Devils won in improbable fashion.

Head Coach Sean Woods made this statement about returning to Rupp Arena, "It's always nice to go back home and take your players to a place where you played at. I've always wanted my guys to have the same kind of experience I had as a student athlete and what better place to take them than to one of the most historic places in college basketball, Rupp Arena. Looking forward to being competitive and having a chance to win too, but not only that to have a chance to play in front of family and friends and take my guys to a place where it all started for me."

Woods has coached against his alma mater before in previous head coaching stops at Mississippi Valley State and Morehead State.

Southern is 0-1 vs the Wildcats, as the two schools have met once before. Kentucky defeated the Jaguars 99-84 in the 1988 NCAA Tournament, but the game was erased from the record books as a part of sanctions imposed upon the UK program in 1989.

Kentucky was 9-16 during the COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 season. The Wildcats are expected to make a final four run as they return a wealth of experience.

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