Could Kentucky Basketball play a foreign tour every summer now? New rule opens up possibility

Jul 16, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, Canada; A Kentucky fan holds up a flag during the first half of the Men's Gold game against Canada at Mattamy Athletic Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

We will likely see the Kentucky Basketball team play on a foreign tour this summer, but what if that became a yearly occurrence?

A new rule approved by the NCAA opens up that possibility.

The NCAA Division I Cabinet announced a new rule change this week that would allow men’s and women’s basketball to participate in a foreign tour every year. That’s a significant change from the previous rule, which only permitted these foreign tours every four years.

Under the previous rule, the Kentucky men’s basketball team wouldn’t have been eligible for another foreign tour until this coming summer.

Now, Mark Pope and Kenny Brooks will have the opportunity to possibly take their squads on an international trip every summer.

Will that happen? Nothing has been set in stone just yet, but if you recall, Mark Pope mentioned the idea back in February, noting the possibility of “an epic summer tour.”

Pope publicly praised the idea then, emphasizing how these trips help teams bond over the summer.

Where could the team end up playing? Pope didn’t specify, but noted that it would be somewhere the team had never been before. If I’m guessing, some kind of European tour would make sense, but Italy would likely be off the list, as Kentucky went there before the 95-96 season when Pope was a player at Kentucky. Spain, Greece, and France are some countries other teams have played in over recent years.

Regardless, I think we should expect Kentucky to play in one of these foreign tours this summer, and with what is expected to be multiple new additions to the roster for next season, a foreign tour could be very valuable to help the team bond heading into the most consequential season of Mark Pope’s coaching career.