LEXINGTON, Ky. — Former Kentucky standouts John Wall, Anthony Davis and Darius Miller will return for an NBA exhibition game to cap an October weekend in which the Wildcats’ present and future will also be on display. The Bluegrass Sports Commission on Wednesday announced that the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans and Washington Wizards will play a preseason game at Rupp Arena on Oct. 19. Davis and Miller, who helped Kentucky win its eighth NCAA championship in 2012, play for the Pelicans. The Wizards feature Wall, the No. 1 overall selection in 2010. “It’ll be fun to give back to Lexington and the University of Kentucky,” said Davis, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft with Miller going 46th in the second round. “It’s always great to come back and play where you went to school, so it should be a fun game.” It will be the first NBA exhibition game at Rupp since Oct. 17, 2000. The game comes a day after Big Blue Madness, a hugely popular event marking the opening of the college season for Kentucky’s men’s and women’s programs. Expectations are high for both programs: the Wildcats’ men will introduce the nation’s top recruiting eight new players including six McDonald’s All-Americans, while the women aim to follow up on their third NCAA tournament regional final appearance in four years. BSC executive director Terry Johnson said in a release that the big weekend will “be a terrific addition to our sports calendar.” Tickets ranging from $10 to $250 go on sale Friday morning.
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