2022–23 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

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.

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
2022–23 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 1 Alabama†16–2 .88931–6  .838
No. 17 Texas A&M15–3 .83325–10  .714
Kentucky12–6 .66722–12  .647
No. 23 Missouri11–7 .61125–10  .714
No. 20 Tennessee11–7 .61125–11  .694
Vanderbilt11–7 .61122–15  .595
Auburn10–8 .55621–13  .618
Florida9–9 .50016–17  .485
Mississippi State8–10 .44421–13  .618
Arkansas8–10 .44422–14  .611
Georgia6–12 .33316–16  .500
South Carolina4–14 .22211–21  .344
Ole Miss3–15 .16712–21  .364
LSU2–16 .11114–19  .424
† 2023 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

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

Player departures
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason left
Dontaie Allen11Guard6'6"205SophomoreFalmouth, KYTransferred to Western Kentucky
Kellan Grady31Guard6'5"205SeniorBoston, MACompleted college eligibility
Bryce Hopkins23Power forward6'7"220FreshmanOak Park, ILTransferred to Providence
Davion Mintz10Guard6'3"195SeniorCharlotte, NCCompleted college eligibility
Keion Brooks Jr.12Forward6'7"210JuniorFort Wayne, INTransferred to Washington
Zan Payne20Forward6'4"215JuniorLexington, KYTransferred to Louisville
TyTy Washington Jr.13Guard6'3"197FreshmanPhoenix, AZNBA Draft
Shaedon Sharpe21Guard6'6"200Redshirt FreshmanLondon, ONNBA Draft

Class of 2022 signees

The Wildcats signed a two man class of Chris Livingston and Cason Wallace. 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
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: Scout: N/A   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 91
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: Scout: N/A   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

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: Scout: N/A   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: Scout: N/A   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: Scout: N/A   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: Scout: N/A   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: Scout: N/A   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: Scout: N/A   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
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious SchoolYears Eligible[lower-alpha 1]Date Eligible
Antonio Reeves[3]12SG6'6"185SeniorChicago, ILIllinois State2October 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
2022–23 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
F 0 Jacob Toppin 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)205 lb (93 kg) SrRhode Island Brooklyn, NY
G 1 CJ Fredrick 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg) RS SrIowa Cincinnati, OH
G 2 Sahvir Wheeler 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)180 lb (82 kg) SrGeorgia Houston, TX
G 3 Adou Thiero 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)200 lb (91 kg) FrQuaker Valley Leetsdale, PA
F 4 Daimion Collins 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)210 lb (95 kg) SoAtlanta Atlanta, TX
G 12 Antonio Reeves 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) SrIllinois State Chicago, IL
G 13 Grant Darbyshire (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)190 lb (86 kg) FrSycamore Cincinnati, OH
F 14 Brennan Canada 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)205 lb (93 kg) SrGeorge Rogers Clark Mount Sterling, KY
G 21 Walker Horn (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)200 lb (91 kg) FrWestlake Austin, TX
G 22 Cason Wallace 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)193 lb (88 kg) FrRichardson Dallas, TX
F 24 Chris Livingston 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)220 lb (100 kg) FrOak Hill Akron, OH
G 25 Kareem Watkins (W) 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)175 lb (79 kg) JrKingsway Regional Camden, NJ
C 33 Ugonna Kingsley 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)225 lb (102 kg) FrPutnam Science Academy Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria
F 34 Oscar Tshiebwe 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)260 lb (118 kg) SrWest Virginia Lubumbashi, DR Congo
F 55 Lance Ware 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)235 lb (107 kg) JrCamden Camden, NJ
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results
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.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[4]

References
  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.
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