2023–24 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

2023–24 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
2023–24 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
NCAA tournament, First Round
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 19
AP	No. 20
Record	23–10 (13–5 SEC)
Head coach	John Calipari (15th season);
Assistant coaches	Orlando Antigua (8th overall, 3rd season); Ron Coleman (3rd season); Chuck Martin (1st season); John Welch (1st season);
Home arena	Rupp Arena
	Seasons ← 2022–23 2024–25 →

2023–24 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 5 Tennessee	14	–	4	.778	27	–	9	.750
No. 20 Kentucky	13	–	5	.722	23	–	10	.697
No. 3т Alabama	13	–	5	.722	25	–	12	.676
No. 18 Auburn †	13	–	5	.722	27	–	8	.771
No. 24 South Carolina	13	–	5	.722	26	–	8	.765
Florida	11	–	7	.611	24	–	12	.667
Texas A&M	9	–	9	.500	21	–	15	.583
LSU	9	–	9	.500	17	–	16	.515
Mississippi State	8	–	10	.444	21	–	14	.600
Ole Miss	7	–	11	.389	20	–	12	.625
Georgia	6	–	12	.333	20	–	17	.541
Arkansas	6	–	12	.333	16	–	17	.485
Vanderbilt	4	–	14	.222	9	–	23	.281
Missouri	0	–	18	.000	8	–	24	.250

† 2024 SEC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

The 2023–24 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Kentucky during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Wildcats, who are founding members of the Southeastern Conference, played their home games at Rupp Arena and were led by John Calipari in his 15th and final season as head coach for the Wildcats.

The Wildcats were ranked as one of the best three-point shooting teams throughout the season. However, they also were ranked as one of the worst defensive teams of the KenPom era. They reached the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the first round. However, despite the first round exit, this season was notable for the play of Reed Sheppard, who led the SEC in steals.^[1]

Previous season

The Wildcats finished the 2022–23 season finished the season with a record of 21–10, 12–6 in SEC play to finish in third place in the SEC. As the number three seed in the SEC tournament, they would be upset in the quarterfinal round by Vanderbilt. They would go on to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they would go on to defeat Providence in the first round before falling to Kansas State in the second round to finish the season with an overall record of 22–12.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Jacob Toppin	0	F	6'9"	205	Senior	Brooklyn, NY	Declared for 2023 NBA draft
CJ Fredrick	1	F	6'3"	185	RS Senior	Cincinnati, OH	Transferred to Cincinnati
Sahvir Wheeler	2	G	5'9"	180	Senior	Houston, TX	Transferd to Washington
Daimion Collins	4	F	6'9"	210	Sophomore	Atlanta, TX	Transferred to LSU
Cason Wallace Jr.	22	G	6'4"	193	Freshman	Dallas, TX	Declared for 2023 NBA draft
Chris Livingston	24	F	6'6"	220	Freshman	Akron, OH	Declared for 2023 NBA draft
Oscar Tshiebwe	34	F	6'9"	260	Senior	Lubumbashi, DR Congo	Declared for 2023 NBA draft
Lance Ware	55	F	6'9"	235	Junior	Camden, NJ	Transferred to Villanova^[2]

Class of 2023 commitments

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.^[3] 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.^[4]

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
Reed Sheppard SG	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 89
Rob Dillingham PG	Simi Valley, CA	Donda Academy (CA)	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Jun 24, 2022
Rob Dillingham PG	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: 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
Justin Edwards SF	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 91
Jordan Burks SF	Decatur, AL	Hillcrest Prep (AZ)	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jun 12, 2023
Jordan Burks SF	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82
Joey Hart SG	Linton, IN	Linton-Stockton (IN)	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jun 17, 2023
Joey Hart SG	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79
Aaron Bradshaw C	Roselle, NJ	Camden (NJ)	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Oct 14, 2022
Aaron Bradshaw C	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 94
Zvonimir Ivišić C	Vodice, Croatia	SC Derby	7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Aug 14, 2023
Zvonimir Ivišić C	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
D. J. Wagner PG	Camden, NJ	Camden (NJ)	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Nov 14, 2022
D. J. Wagner PG	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: 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: "Kentucky 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 16, 2022. "2023 Kentucky Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 16, 2022. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 16, 2022. "Kentucky 2023 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved August 16, 2022.

Roster

2023–24 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	0	Rob Dillingham	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	176 lb (80 kg)	Fr	Overtime Elite	Hickory, NC
G	1	Justin Edwards	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	203 lb (92 kg)	Fr	Imhotep Institute	Philadelphia, PA
F	2	Aaron Bradshaw	7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)	226 lb (103 kg)	Fr	Camden	Roselle, NJ
G	3	Adou Thiero	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	222 lb (101 kg)	So	Quaker Valley	Leetsdale, PA
F	4	Tre Mitchell	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	231 lb (105 kg)	GS	West Virginia	Pittsburgh, PA
G	12	Antonio Reeves	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	GS	Illinois State	Chicago, IL
G	13	Grant Darbyshire (W)	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	So	Sycamore	Cincinnati, OH
F	14	Brennan Canada	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	GS	George Rogers Clark	Mount Sterling, KY
G	15	Reed Sheppard	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	187 lb (85 kg)	Fr	North Laurel	London, KY
G	20	Joey Hart	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	203 lb (92 kg)	Fr	Linton-Stockton	Linton, IN
G	21	D. J. Wagner	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	Fr	Camden	Camden, NJ
G	22	Walker Horn (W)	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	So	Westlake	Austin, TX
G	23	Jordan Burks	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	202 lb (92 kg)	Fr	Hillcrest Prep	Decatur, AL
G	25	Kareem Watkins (W)	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Sr	Kingsway Regional	Camden, NJ
F	33	Ugonna Onyenso	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	247 lb (112 kg)	So	Putnam Science Academy	Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria
F	44	Zvonimir Ivišić	7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)	234 lb (106 kg)	Fr	SC Derby	Vodice, Croatia

Head coach

John Calipari (Clarion)

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

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

Injured
Current redshirt

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
July 12, 2023* 1:30 p.m., CBSSN		vs. Germany	W 81–73	–	24 – Reeves	9 – Edwards	6 – Tied	Mattamy Athletic Centre Toronto, Ontario
July 13, 2023* 8:00 p.m., CBSSN		vs. Canada	W 93–69	–	23 – Reeves	6 – Tied	9 – Dillingham	Mattamy Athletic Centre Toronto, Ontario
July 15, 2023* 1:30 p.m., CBSSN		vs. Africa	W 104–92	–	27 – Reeves	8 – Mitchell	8 – Sheppard	Mattamy Athletic Centre Toronto, Ontario
July 16, 2023* 8:00 p.m., CBSSN		vs. Canada Gold Medal game	W 89–72	–	23 – Edwards	11 – Mitchell	6 – Wagner	Mattamy Athletic Centre Toronto, Ontario
October 27, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN	No. 16	Georgetown (KY)	W 92–69	–	22 – Mitchell	9 – Mitchell	5 – Dillingham	Rupp Arena (18,454) Lexington, KY
November 2, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+	No. 16	Kentucky State	W 99–53	–	20 – Reeves	10 – Mitchell	7 – Wagner	Rupp Arena (18,739) Lexington, KY
Regular season
November 6, 2023* 8:00 p.m., SECN	No. 16	New Mexico State	W 86–46	1–0	17 – Dillingham	9 – Mitchell	5 – Mitchell	Rupp Arena (18,438) Lexington, KY
November 10, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+	No. 16	Texas A&M–Commerce Wildcat Challenge	W 81–61	2–0	21 – Reeves	8 – Mitchell	4 – Dillingham	Rupp Arena (19,646) Lexington, KY
November 14, 2023* 9:30 p.m., ESPN	No. 17	vs. No. 1 Kansas Champions Classic	L 84–89	2–1	24 – Reeves	12 – Thiero	3 – Tied	United Center (18,780) Chicago, IL
November 17, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+	No. 17	Stonehill Wildcat Challenge	W 101–67	3–1	25 – Sheppard	5 – Tied	7 – Tied	Rupp Arena (18,960) Lexington, KY
November 20, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN	No. 16	Saint Joseph's Wildcat Challenge	W 96–88 ^OT	4–1	22 – Tied	6 – Mitchell	6 – Tied	Rupp Arena (18,680) Lexington, KY
November 24, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN	No. 16	Marshall	W 118–82	5–1	28 – Wagner	7 – Tied	8 – Dillingham	Rupp Arena (20,246) Lexington, KY
November 28, 2023* 7:30 p.m., ESPN	No. 12	No. 8 Miami (FL) ACC–SEC Challenge	W 95–73	6–1	21 – Sheppard	6 – Thiero	9 – Dillingham	Rupp Arena (20,119) Lexington, KY
December 2, 2023* 4:00 p.m., SECN	No. 12	UNC Wilmington	L 73–80	6–2	25 – Sheppard	9 – Sheppard	6 – Sheppard	Rupp Arena (19,990) Lexington, KY
December 9, 2023* 12:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 16	vs. Penn Malone's Classic	W 81–66	7–2	17 – Tied	11 – Bradshaw	7 – Wagner	Wells Fargo Center (9,007) Philadelphia, PA
December 16, 2023* 5:30 p.m., CBS	No. 14	vs. No. 9 North Carolina CBS Sports Classic/Rivalry	W 87–83	8–2	17 – Dillingham	6 – Tied	5 – Wagner	State Farm Arena (17,058) Atlanta, GA
December 21, 2023* 6:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 9	at Louisville Rivalry	W 95–76	9–2	30 – Reeves	12 – Mitchell	11 – Sheppard	KFC Yum! Center (17,293) Louisville, KY
December 29, 2023* 7:00 p.m., SECN	No. 8	Illinois State	W 96–70	10–2	27 – Reeves	11 – Mitchell	7 – Dillingham	Rupp Arena (20,659) Lexington, KY
January 6, 2024 12:30 p.m., ESPN	No. 6	at Florida Rivalry	W 87–85	11–2 (1–0)	19 – Reeves	10 – Mitchell	3 – Wagner	O'Connell Center (10,106) Gainesville, FL
January 9, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 6	Missouri	W 90–77	12–2 (2–0)	23 – Dillingham	14 – Mitchell	4 – Sheppard	Rupp Arena (20,086) Lexington, KY
January 13, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 6	at Texas A&M	L 92–97 ^OT	12–3 (2–1)	22 – Reeves	13 – Mitchell	6 – Mitchell	Reed Arena (9,540) College Station, TX
January 17, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 8	Mississippi State	W 90–77	13–3 (3–1)	27 – Reeves	6 – Tied	6 – Sheppard	Rupp Arena (20,016) Lexington, KY
January 20, 2024 6:00 p.m., SECN	No. 8	Georgia	W 105–96	14–3 (4–1)	23 – Mitchell	5 – Tied	10 – Wagner	Rupp Arena (20,283) Lexington, KY
January 23, 2024 7:00 p.m., SECN	No. 6	at South Carolina	L 62–79	14–4 (4–2)	16 – Dillingham	8 – Bradshaw	3 – Wagner	Colonial Life Arena (18,000) Columbia, SC
January 27, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 6	at Arkansas College GameDay	W 63–57	15–4 (5–2)	24 – Reeves	11 – Mitchell	5 – Sheppard	Bud Walton Arena (19,200) Fayetteville, AR
January 31, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 10	Florida Rivalry	L 91–94 ^OT	15–5 (5–3)	24 – Sheppard	16 – Onyenso	6 – Sheppard	Rupp Arena (20,068) Lexington, KY
February 3, 2024 8:30 p.m., ESPN	No. 10	No. 5 Tennessee Rivalry	L 92–103	15–6 (5–4)	35 – Dillingham	6 – Tied	6 – Sheppard	Rupp Arena (20,265) Lexington, KY
February 6, 2024 8:30 p.m., SECN	No. 17	at Vanderbilt	W 109–77	16–6 (6–4)	24 – Reeves	7 – Tied	9 – Dillingham	Memorial Gymnasium (11,678) Nashville, TN
February 10, 2024* 4:00 p.m., CBS	No. 17	Gonzaga	L 85–89	16–7	21 – Sheppard	5 – Tied	3 – Tied	Rupp Arena (20,186) Lexington, KY
February 13, 2024 9:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 22	Ole Miss	W 75–63	17–7 (7–4)	15 – Reeves	7 – Reeves	5 – Sheppard	Rupp Arena (20,064) Lexington, KY
February 17, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 22	at No. 13 Auburn College GameDay	W 70–59	18–7 (8–4)	22 – Reeves	11 – Onyenso	3 – Tied	Neville Arena (9,121) Auburn, AL
February 21, 2024 9:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 17	at LSU	L 74–75	18–8 (8–5)	25 – Reeves	9 – Thiero	2 – Tied	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (9,493) Baton Rouge, LA
February 24, 2024 4:00 p.m., CBS	No. 17	No. 13 Alabama	W 117–95	19–8 (9–5)	28 – Edwards	6 – Sheppard	6 – Sheppard	Rupp Arena (20,342) Lexington, KY
February 27, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 16	at Mississippi State	W 91–89	20–8 (10–5)	32 – Sheppard	5 – Sheppard	7 – Sheppard	Humphrey Coliseum (9,266) Starkville, MS
March 2, 2024 1:30 p.m., CBS	No. 16	Arkansas	W 111–102	21–8 (11–5)	22 – Reeves	9 – Ivisic	5 – Tied	Rupp Arena (20,322) Lexington, KY
March 6, 2024 9:00 p.m., SECN	No. 15	Vanderbilt	W 93–77	22–8 (12–5)	23 – Dillingham	6 – Tied	11 – Sheppard	Rupp Arena (20,332) Lexington, KY
March 9, 2024 4:00 p.m., CBS	No. 15	at No. 4 Tennessee Rivalry	W 85–81	23–8 (13–5)	27 – Tied	7 – Reeves	5 – Sheppard	Thompson–Boling Arena (22,206) Knoxville, TN
SEC tournament
March 15, 2024 7:00 p.m., SECN	(2) No. 9	vs. (7) Texas A&M Quarterfinals	L 87–97	23–9	27 – Dillingham	9 – Mitchell	7 – Dillingham	Bridgestone Arena Nashville, TN
NCAA tournament
March 21, 2024* 7:10 pm, CBS	(3 S) No. 12	vs. (14 S) Oakland First Round	L 76–80	23–10	27 – Reeves	13 – Mitchell	4 – Sheppard	PPG Paints Arena Pittsburgh, PA
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South region. All times are in Eastern Time.

Sources:^[5]^[6]

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
т = Tied with team above or below
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	Final
AP	16	17	16	12	16	14	9	8	6	6	8	6	10	17	22	17	16	15	9	12	20
Coaches	16	16	16	12	17	15	9	10	6	6	10	6т	8	15	20	17	15	13	9	12	19

References

^ https://www.on3.com/teams/kentucky-wildcats/news/this-was-the-worst-kentucky-defense-of-the-kenpom-era/
^ Black, Ryan. "Kentucky basketball roster 2023–24 watch: Forward Lance Ware commits to Villanova". Louisville Courier Journal. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
^ 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.
^ "No. 1-ranked recruit Wagner chooses Kentucky". ESPN.com. November 14, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
^ Roberts, Ben. "What's going on with Kentucky's 2023–24 basketball schedule? Here's the latest". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
^ Thompson, Tyler. "ACC/SEC Challenge may make Kentucky's 2023–24 schedule one of its best". On3.com. Retrieved June 4, 2023.

[1] ttps://www.on3.com/teams/kentucky-wildcats/news/this-was-the-worst-kentucky-defense-of-the-kenpom-era/

[2] Black, Ryan. "Kentucky basketball roster 2023–24 watch: Forward Lance Ware commits to Villanova". Louisville Courier Journal. Retrieved June 4, 2023.

[3] 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.

[4] "No. 1-ranked recruit Wagner chooses Kentucky". ESPN.com. November 14, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.

[5] Roberts, Ben. "What's going on with Kentucky's 2023–24 basketball schedule? Here's the latest". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved June 4, 2023.

[6] Thompson, Tyler. "ACC/SEC Challenge may make Kentucky's 2023–24 schedule one of its best". On3.com. Retrieved June 4, 2023.

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v t e Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
Venues	State College Gymnasium (1903–1914) Buell Armory Gymnasium (1910–1924) Alumni Gymnasium (1924–1950) Memorial Coliseum (1950–1976) Rupp Arena (1976–present) Joe Craft Center (practice)
Rivalries	Centre (historical) Florida Indiana Louisville North Carolina Tennessee Transylvania (historical)
Culture & lore	History under Adolph Rupp Fabulous Five Point-shaving scandal Fiddlin' Five Rupp's Runts The Season Without Celebration "The Shot" Unforgettables Untouchables Comeback Cats John Wall Dance Tweakables Pursuit of Perfection 2011 Indiana game Basketbowl Champions Classic CBS Sports Classic The Rivalry: Red v. Blue The Wildcat Scratch Blue "On, On, U of K" "Kentucky Fight" Big Blue Nation Blue blood status
People	Head coaches Honorees NBA draftees Players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Helms and Premo-Porretta national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics; NCAA championships in bolded italics