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 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 #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 Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason left Dontaie Allen 11 Guard 205 Falmouth, KY Transferred to Western Kentucky Kellan Grady 31 Guard 205 Boston, MA Completed college eligibility Bryce Hopkins 23 Power forward 220 Oak Park, IL Transferred to Providence Davion Mintz 10 Guard 195 Charlotte, NC Completed college eligibility Keion Brooks Jr. 12 Forward 210 Fort Wayne, IN Transferred to Washington Zan Payne 20 Forward 215 Lexington, KY Transferred to Louisville TyTy Washington Jr. 13 Guard 197 Phoenix, AZ NBA Draft Shaedon Sharpe 21 Guard 200 London, ON NBA Draft
Class of 2022 signees The Wildcats signed a four-man class of Chris Livingston, Cason Wallace, Adou Thiero, and Ugonna Onyenso. Sharpe enrolled in January to join the 2022 team.
CordellCordellCordell
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. 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.
Incoming transfers Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School Years Eligible Date Eligible 12 SG 6'6" 185 Chicago, IL Illinois State 2 October 1, 2022
Roster
Schedule and results
!colspan=12 style=""| Big Blue Bahamas exhibition trip
!colspan=12 style=""| Exhibition
!colspan=12 style=| Regular season
!colspan=12 style=""| SEC Tournament
!colspan=12 style=| NCAA tournament
Source
References