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2022–23 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

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2022–23 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second Round
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record22–12 (12–6 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaRupp Arena
Seasons
2022–23 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 1 Alabama 16 2   .889 31 6   .838
No. 17 Texas A&M 15 3   .833 25 10   .714
Kentucky 12 6   .667 22 12   .647
No. 23 Missouri 11 7   .611 25 10   .714
No. 20 Tennessee 11 7   .611 25 11   .694
Vanderbilt 11 7   .611 22 15   .595
Auburn 10 8   .556 21 13   .618
Florida 9 9   .500 16 17   .485
Mississippi State 8 10   .444 21 13   .618
Arkansas 8 10   .444 22 14   .611
Georgia 6 12   .333 16 16   .500
South Carolina 4 14   .222 11 21   .344
Ole Miss 3 15   .167 12 21   .364
LSU 2 16   .111 14 19   .424
2023 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2022–23 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Wildcats, founding members of the Southeastern Conference, played their home games at Rupp Arena and were led by John Calipari in his 14th season as head coach. They finished the season 21–10, 12–6 in SEC play to finish in third place. As the No. 3 seed in the SEC tournament, they were upset in the quarterfinal round by Vanderbilt. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, where they defeated Providence in the first round before falling to Kansas State in the second round to finish the season with a final record of 22–12.

Previous season

[edit]

The Wildcats finished the 2021–22 season 26–8, 14–4 in SEC play to finish a tie for second place. As the No. 3 seed in the SEC tournament, they defeated Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals before losing to Tennessee in the semifinals. They received an at large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 2 seed in the East region. The Wildcats became just the 10th No. 2 seed to lose in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, losing to No. 15-seeded Saint Peter's 85–79 in overtime. It also marked the first time Kentucky had suffered a First Round exit under Calipari.

Offseason

[edit]

Player departures

[edit]
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason left
Dontaie Allen 11 Guard 6'6" 205 Sophomore Falmouth, KY Transferred to Western Kentucky
Kellan Grady 31 Guard 6'5" 205 Senior Boston, MA Completed college eligibility
Bryce Hopkins 23 Power forward 6'7" 220 Freshman Oak Park, IL Transferred to Providence
Davion Mintz 10 Guard 6'3" 195 Senior Charlotte, NC Completed college eligibility
Keion Brooks Jr. 12 Forward 6'7" 210 Junior Fort Wayne, IN Transferred to Washington
Zan Payne 20 Forward 6'4" 215 Junior Lexington, KY Transferred to Louisville
TyTy Washington Jr. 13 Guard 6'3" 197 Freshman Phoenix, AZ NBA Draft
Shaedon Sharpe 21 Guard 6'6" 200 Redshirt Freshman London, ON NBA Draft

Class of 2022 signees

[edit]

The Wildcats signed a four-man class of Chris Livingston, Cason Wallace, Adou Thiero and Ugonna Kingsley. Sharpe enrolled in January to join the 2022 team.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date

CordellCordellCordell

Chris Livingston
SF
Akron, OH Oak Hill Academy (VA) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Nov 10, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 91
Adou Thiero
SG / PG
Leetsdale, PA Quaker Valley (PA) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) May 8, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 80
Cason Wallace
SG / PG
Dallas, TX Richardson (TX) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Nov 10, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 92
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 2nd  247Sports: 8th  ESPN: 1st
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Kentucky 2022 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  • "2022 Kentucky Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  • "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  • "Kentucky 2022 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved December 22, 2021.

Class of 2023 commitments

[edit]

On November 20, 2021, Reed Sheppard verbally committed to UK over multiple offers, with Louisville and Virginia among the most active in attempting to recruit him. The son of former UK basketball players Jeff Sheppard and the former Stacey Reed, he was the first commitment to the 2023 recruiting class. At the time of his commitment, he was the #3 ranked combo guard in the 2023 class by 247 Sports.[1] On November 14, 2022, D. J. Wagner, ranked as the top point guard in the class by ESPN and Rivals, committed to the University Of Kentucky, deciding over Louisville.[2]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Reed Sheppard
SG
London, KY North Laurel (KY) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Nov 20, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 89
Robert Dillingham
PG
Simi Valley, CA Donda Academy (CA) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jun 24, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 95
Justin Edwards
SF
Philadelphia, PA Imhotep Institute (PA) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jul 25, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 91
Ugonna Kingsley
C
Owerri, Nigeria Putnam Science Academy (CT) 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Aug 1, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 89
Aaron Bradshaw
C
Roselle, NJ Camden, NJ 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Oct 14, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 94
D. J. Wagner
PG
Camden, NJ Camden (NJ) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Nov 14, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 96
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Incoming transfers

[edit]
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School Years Eligible[a] Date Eligible
Antonio Reeves[3] 12 SG 6'6" 185 Senior Chicago, IL Illinois State 2 October 1, 2022
  1. ^ Due to a special NCAA ruling, the 2020–21 season does not count against the eligibility of players in all NCAA winter sports, including basketball.

Roster

[edit]
2022–23 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Jacob Toppin 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Rhode Island Brooklyn, NY
G 1 CJ Fredrick 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Sr Iowa Cincinnati, OH
G 2 Sahvir Wheeler 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Georgia Houston, TX
G 3 Adou Thiero 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Quaker Valley Leetsdale, PA
F 4 Daimion Collins 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Atlanta Atlanta, TX
G 12 Antonio Reeves 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Illinois State Chicago, IL
G 13 Grant Darbyshire (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Sycamore Cincinnati, OH
F 14 Brennan Canada 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr George Rogers Clark Mount Sterling, KY
G 21 Walker Horn (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Westlake Austin, TX
G 22 Cason Wallace 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 193 lb (88 kg) Fr Richardson Dallas, TX
F 24 Chris Livingston 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Oak Hill Akron, OH
G 25 Kareem Watkins (W) 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Kingsway Regional Camden, NJ
C 33 Ugonna Kingsley 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Putnam Science Academy Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria
F 34 Oscar Tshiebwe 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Sr West Virginia Lubumbashi, DR Congo
F 55 Lance Ware 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Camden Camden, NJ
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

[edit]
Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Big Blue Bahamas exhibition trip
August 10, 2022*
7:00 p.m., SECN
vs. Dominican Republic National Select Team W 108–56 
 17  Tshiebwe   8  Livingston   5  Collins  Baha Mar Convention Center (1,200)
Nassau, BAH
August 11, 2022*
7:00 p.m., SECN
vs. Tec De Monterrey W 102–40 
 14  Tie   14  Tshiebwe   10  Wheeler  Baha Mar Convention Center (1,200)
Nassau, BAH
August 13, 2022*
6:00 p.m., SECN
vs. Carleton University W 118–56 
 27  Toppin   13  Tshiebwe   6  Tie  Baha Mar Convention Center (1,200)
Nassau, BAH
August 14, 2022*
12:00 p.m., SECN
vs. The Bahamas National Select Team W 98–74 
 22  Reeves   12  Tshiebwe   5  Wallace  Baha Mar Convention Center (1,200)
Nassau, BAH
Exhibition
October 30, 2022*
7:00 p.m., SECN
No. 4 Missouri Western W 56–38 
 15  Fredrick   7  Wallace   2  Toppin  Rupp Arena (17,735)
Lexington, KY
November 3, 2022*
7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+
No. 4 Kentucky State W 111–53 
 23  Reeves   11  Onyenso   6  Fredrick  Rupp Arena (18,413)
Lexington, KY
Regular season
November 7, 2022*
6:30 p.m., SECN
No. 4 Howard W 95–63  1–0
 22  Reeves   11  Toppin   9  Wallace  Rupp Arena (18,750)
Lexington, KY
November 11, 2022*
7:00 p.m., SECN
No. 4 Duquesne
Tribute Classic
W 77–52  2–0
 18  Reeves   10  Onyenso   11  Wheeler  Rupp Arena (20,014)
Lexington, KY
November 15, 2022*
7:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 4 vs. Michigan State
Champions Classic
L 77–86 2OT 2–1
 22  Tshiebwe   18  Tshiebwe   8  Wheeler  Gainbridge Fieldhouse (17,923)
Indianapolis, IN
November 17, 2022*
7:00 p.m., SECN
No. 4 South Carolina State
Tribute Classic
W 106–63  3–1
 17  Fredrick   9  Toppin   10  Wheeler  Rupp Arena (18,885)
Lexington, KY
November 20, 2022*
7:30 p.m., ESPN
No. 4 vs. No. 2 Gonzaga L 72–88  3–2
 20  Tshiebwe   15  Tshiebwe   4  Wheeler  Spokane Arena (12,333)
Spokane, WA
November 23, 2022*
4:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+
No. 15 North Florida
Tribute Classic
W 96–56  4–2
 20  Tie   15  Tshiebwe   6  Wallace  Rupp Arena (19,763)
Lexington, KY
November 29, 2022*
7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+
No. 19 Bellarmine W 60–41  5–2
 18  Reeves   12  Tshiebwe   6  Wheeler  Rupp Arena (19,092)
Lexington, KY
December 4, 2022*
1:00 p.m., ABC
No. 19 vs. Michigan
Basketball Hall of Fame London Showcase
W 73–69  6–2
 14  Tie   14  Tshiebwe   7  Wheeler  The O2 Arena (8,242)
London, England
December 10, 2022*
1:00 p.m., SECN
No. 16 Yale W 69–59  7–2
 28  Tshiebwe   12  Tshiebwe   4  Toppin  Rupp Arena (20,264)
Lexington, KY
December 17, 2022*
5:15 p.m., CBS
No. 13 vs. No. 16 UCLA
CBS Sports Classic
L 53–63  7–3
 14  Livingston   16  Tshiebwe   6  Wheeler  Madison Square Garden (20,261)
New York City, NY
December 21, 2022*
7:00 p.m., SECN
No. 19 Florida A&M W 88–68  8–3
 27  Wallace   8  Tshiebwe   9  Wallace  Rupp Arena (20,226)
Lexington, KY
December 28, 2022
7:00 p.m., SECN
No. 19 at Missouri L 75–89  8–4
(0–1)
 23  Tshiebwe   19  Tshiebwe   8  Wheeler  Mizzou Arena (15,061)
Columbia, MO
December 31, 2022*
12:00 p.m., CBS
No. 19 Louisville
Rivalry
W 86–63  9–4
 24  Tie   14  Tshiebwe   9  Wheeler  Rupp Arena (20,934)
Lexington, KY
January 3, 2023
8:00 p.m., ESPN
LSU W 74–71  10–4
(1–1)
 21  Toppin   16  Tshiebwe   9  Wheeler  Rupp Arena (19,610)
Lexington, KY
January 7, 2023
1:00 p.m., ESPN
at No. 7 Alabama L 52–78  10–5
(1–2)
 20  Reeves   6  Tie   3  Tie  Coleman Coliseum (13,747)
Tuscaloosa, AL
January 10, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN2
South Carolina L 68–71  10–6
(1–3)
 19  Tshiebwe   12  Tshiebwe   3  Wheeler  Rupp Arena (19,393)
Lexington, KY
January 14, 2023
12:00 p.m., ESPN
at No. 5 Tennessee
Rivalry
W 63–56  11–6
(2–3)
 18  Reeves   13  Tshiebwe   6  Wallace  Thompson–Boling Arena (21,678)
Knoxville, TN
January 17, 2023
9:00 p.m., ESPN
Georgia W 85–71  12–6
(3–3)
 37  Tshiebwe   24  Tshiebwe   4  Toppin  Rupp Arena (19,171)
Lexington, KY
January 21, 2023
2:00 p.m., ESPN
Texas A&M W 76–67  13–6
(4–3)
 23  Reeves   17  Tshiebwe   4  Wallace  Rupp Arena (20,017)
Lexington, KY
January 24, 2023
9:00 p.m., SECN
at Vanderbilt W 69–53  14–6
(5–3)
 16  Reeves   13  Tshiebwe   5  Tie  Memorial Gymnasium (10,238)
Nashville, TN
January 28, 2023*
8:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 9 Kansas
Big 12/SEC Challenge
L 68–77  14–7
 18  Tshiebwe   9  Tshiebwe   5  Wallace  Rupp Arena (20,418)
Lexington, KY
January 31, 2023
9:00 p.m., ESPN
at Ole Miss W 75–66  15–7
(6–3)
 27  Reeves   11  Tshiebwe   9  Wheeler  SJB Pavilion 
Oxford, MS
February 4, 2023
8:30 p.m., ESPN
Florida
Rivalry
W 72–67  16–7
(7–3)
 20  Wallace   15  Tshiebwe   3  Tie  Rupp Arena (20,315)
Lexington, KY
February 7, 2023
9:00 p.m., ESPN
Arkansas L 73–88  16–8
(7–4)
 24  Wallace   8  Toppin   5  Wallace  Rupp Arena (19,855)
Lexington, KY
February 11, 2023
12:00 p.m., ESPN
at Georgia L 68–75  16–9
(7–5)
 20  Tie   14  Tshiebwe   6  Wallace  Stegeman Coliseum (10,376)
Athens, GA
February 15, 2023
8:30 p.m., SECN
at Mississippi State W 71–68  17–9
(8–5)
 18  Tshiebwe   11  Tshiebwe   11  Wallace  Humphrey Coliseum (9,297)
Starkville, MS
February 18, 2023
1:00 p.m., CBS
No. 10 Tennessee
Rivalry
W 66–54  18–9
(9–5)
 16  Tie   10  Livingston   6  Wallace  Rupp Arena (20,323)
Lexington, KY
February 22, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN
at Florida
Rivalry
W 82–74  19–9
(10–5)
 25  Tshiebwe   15  Livingston   6  Wallace  O'Connell Center (9,540)
Gainesville, FL
February 25, 2023
4:00 p.m., CBS
Auburn W 86–54  20–9
(11–5)
 22  Tshiebwe   17  Tshiebwe   9  Wallace  Rupp Arena (20,353)
Lexington, KY
March 1, 2023
7:00 p.m., SECN
No. 23 Vanderbilt L 66–68  20–10
(11–6)
 21  Tshiebwe   20  Tshiebwe   2  Tie  Rupp Arena (20,337)
Lexington, KY
March 4, 2023
2:00 p.m., CBS
No. 23 at Arkansas W 88–79  21–10
(12–6)
 37  Reeves   13  Tshiebwe   4  Fredrick  Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
SEC Tournament
March 10, 2023*
9:00 p.m., SECN
(3) No. 23 vs. (6) Vanderbilt
Quarterfinals
L 73–80  21–11
 22  Reeves   15  Tshiebwe   5  Wallace  Bridgestone Arena (17,989)
Nashville, TN
NCAA tournament
March 17, 2023*
7:10 pm, CBS
(6 E) vs. (11 E) Providence
First Round
W 61–53  22–11
 22  Reeves   25  Tshiebwe   5  Wallace  Greensboro Coliseum 
Greensboro, NC
March 19, 2023*
2:40 p.m., CBS
(6 E) vs. (3 E) No. 15 Kansas State
Second Round
L 69–75  22–12
 25  Tshiebwe   18  Tshiebwe   4  Wallace  Greensboro Coliseum (16,517)
Greensboro, NC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
E=East.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[4]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Borzello, Jeff; Biancardi, Paul (November 20, 2021). "Reed Sheppard, No. 37 men's basketball prospect in 2023, commits to Kentucky Wildcats". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  2. ^ "No. 1-ranked recruit Wagner chooses Kentucky". ESPN.com. November 14, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  3. ^ Borzello, Jeff; Biancardi, Paul (April 27, 2022). "Antonio Reeves transfers from Illinois State to play basketball for Kentucky Wildcats". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  4. ^ "2022–23 Kentucky men's basketball schedule". ukathletics.com. Retrieved October 29, 2022.