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2023–24 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

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2023–24 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 19
APNo. 20
Record23–10 (13–5 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaRupp Arena
Seasons
2023–24 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
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

[edit]

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

[edit]

Departures

[edit]
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

[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.[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 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   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 
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
Jordan Burks
SF 		Decatur, AL Hillcrest Prep (AZ) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jun 12, 2023 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   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 
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 79
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
Zvonimir Ivišić
C 		Vodice, Croatia SC Derby 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Aug 14, 2023 
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 
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:

  • "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

[edit]
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
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Schedule and results

[edit]
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

[edit]
See also: 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP16171612161498668610172217161591220
Coaches16161612171591066106т8152017151391219

References

[edit]
  1. ^ https://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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