The 2023–24 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

during the

2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season The 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 6, 2023. The regular season ended on March 17, 2024, with the 2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament beginning with the First Four on March 19 and ending with th ...

. The Wildcats, who are founding members of the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

, played their home games at

Rupp Arena Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center is an arena located in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Since its opening in 1976, it has been the centerpiece of Central Bank Center (formerly Lexington Center), a convention and shopping facility ...

and were led by

John Calipari John Vincent Calipari (; born February 10, 1959) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach at the Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball, University of Arkansas. He has been named Naismith College Coach of the Year three times (1996, 2 ...

in his 15th and final season as head coach for the Wildcats. The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team drew an average home attendance of 19,928 in 2023–24, the 3rd highest in college basketball. 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, although Alabama had a worse rating in the same season. They reached the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to the

Oakland Golden Grizzlies The Oakland Golden Grizzlies are the athletic teams that represent Oakland University (OU) in the Horizon League and NCAA Division I, Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The school fields 16 teams: Oakland Golden Gr ...

in the first round. However, despite the first round exit, this season was notable for the play of

Reed Sheppard Isaiah Reed Sheppard (born June 24, 2004) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. He was a consensus four-star rec ...

, who led the SEC in steals.

Previous season

The

Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...

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 Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

in the first round before falling to

Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public inst ...

in the second round to finish the season with an overall record of 22–12.

Offseason

Departures

Class of 2023 commitments

On November 20, 2021,

verbally committed to UK over multiple offers, with

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

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.

Roster

Schedule and results

November

The season began on November 6, where Kentucky opened with

New Mexico State New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a Public university system, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1888, it is the state's oldest public institution ...

. After having an 8-point lead at halftime, Kentucky cruised to an 86–46 win. On November 10, Kentucky defeated Texas A&M-Commerce (now East Texas A&M) 81–61, despite trailing 21–8 early in that game. Afterwards, Kentucky took on

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

in the

Champions Classic The Champions Classic is an event that tips off the NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It features four of the top college basketball programs in the United States: Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, and Michigan State. The venue changes from year to ...

. After Kentucky led for most of the game, the Jayhawks came back late and ended up winning a close one, 89–84. The Wildcats returned home to take on Stonehill, and came away with a 101–67 victory. The Wildcats escaped a near-upset against St. Joseph’s, winning 96–88 in overtime. Kentucky faced

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia *Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria ** Marshall railway station Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Is ...

in their next matchup, winning 118–82. Afterwards, the Wildcats faced

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

in the first-ever ACC-SEC Challenge. Kentucky won convincingly, defeating the Hurricanes 95–73. The Wildcats had a 6–1 record following the month of November.

December

The Wildcats opened the month of December against UNC Wilmington. Kentucky was upset by the Seahawks at home, by a score of 80–73. Afterwards, Kentucky traveled to Philadelphia to take on Penn. The Wildcats bounced back in an 81–66 win. The team traveled to Atlanta for the

CBS Sports Classic The CBS Sports Classic is an annual American men's college basketball event that began in 2014. Four teams take part annually in the event. From the inception of the classic through 2024, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio State, and UCLA each partici ...

to face off against

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. In a back-and-forth game, the Wildcats defeated the Tar Heels 87–83. Kentucky ended the month of December with victories over rival

, as well as Illinois State, in which Kentucky won convincingly in both games. The Cats finished the month of December with a record of 4–1, and their overall record stood at 10–2.

January

Kentucky opened up SEC play on January 6, against the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni an ...

. In a tight game, in which Florida had the lead for most of the game, Kentucky came back, and got a close 87–85 victory. Afterwards, Kentucky defeated

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

by a score of 90–77. The Wildcats took their first loss in conference play when they lost to

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

by a score of 97–92 in overtime. The Wildcats bounced back to defeat

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States. It is classified among "R ...

by a score of 90–77. Kentucky also went on to defeat

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

105–96, in the debut of Kentucky center

Zvonimir Ivišić Zvonimir Ivišić (born 9 August 2003), nicknamed "Big Z", is a Croatian college basketball player on the Illinois Fighting Illini of the Big Ten Conference. He formerly played for the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Kentucky Wildcats of the Southeast ...

. However, Kentucky would lose two of their final three games of the month. The Wildcats would get blown out on the road at

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

by a score of 79–62. The Wildcats would also lose to Florida at home 94–91 in overtime. However, the Wildcats would beat

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

by a score of 63–57 in between those two games. The Wildcats finished the month of January with a record of 5–3, which brought their record to 15–5 overall.

February

The Wildcats opened the month of February at home against rival

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. Kentucky would lose to the Volunteers by a score of 103–92. Kentucky bounced back on the road against Vanderbilt, winning convincingly, 109–77. Afterwards, Kentucky returned home for a non-conference game against Gonzaga. In a back-and-forth game, the Wildcats fell short 89–85. This was their 3rd straight loss at home, which was the first time this had occurred for Kentucky in the history of Rupp Arena. Kentucky broke the home losing streak the next game, however, as the Wildcats defeated

Ole Miss OLE, Ole or Olé may refer to: * Olé, a cheering expression used in Spain * Ole (name), a male given name, includes a list of people named Ole * Overhead lines equipment, used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains Co ...

, by a score of 75–63. Afterwards, Kentucky got a huge road win at Auburn, winning 70–59. The Wildcats would drop the next game, however, on the road to

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

. In a back-and-forth game, the Wildcats lost 75–74 on a buzzer beater by Tyrell Ward. The Wildcats rolled against

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, winning convincingly 117–95. The Wildcats ended the month with a 91–89 win over Mississippi State, off of a buzzer beater by

. The Wildcats finished the month with a record of 5–3. The Wildcats had a conference record of 10–5 and an overall record of 20–8.

March

Kentucky opened up the month of March with a 111–102 home win over Arkansas in a back-and-forth game. The Wildcats closed out their home slate with a senior night win over Vanderbilt, 93–77. The Wildcats ended the regular season with an 85–81 win on the road at rival Tennessee. The Wildcats finished the regular season with an overall record of 23–8, and a conference record of 13–5.

Postseason

Kentucky entered the SEC Tournament as the #2 seed. They faced #7 Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament Quarterfinals. The Aggies once again defeated Kentucky, this time by a score of 97–87. On Selection Sunday, Kentucky got the #3 seed in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament. The region had

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

as the #1 seed and Marquette as the #2 seed. Kentucky’s first round matchup was against #14

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

in the first round. Kentucky was upset by Oakland, 80–76. This was Kentucky’s second loss to a double digit seed in a span of 3 years.

Calipari's departure

Immediately following the season, there were questions as to whether or not John Calipari would remain Kentucky’s head coach. Calipari had been criticized in recent years for his losses in the NCAA Tournament, specifically to St. Peter’s and Oakland. In early April, rumors spread that Calipari was going to leave Kentucky to take the job at Arkansas, which was open since

Eric Musselman Eric Musselman (born November 19, 1964) is an American college basketball coach who is currently the head coach at the University of Southern California. He is the former head coach at the University of Arkansas, University of Nevada, Reno, the ...

left Arkansas to take the job at

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

. On April 8, it was announced that John Calipari would be leaving Kentucky after 15 years to become the new head coach of Arkansas. After about a week of a coaching search, Kentucky hired

Mark Pope Mark Edward Pope (born September 11, 1972) is an American collegiate basketball coach and former player who is head men's basketball coach at the University of Kentucky, his alma matter. As a player, Pope played power forward and small forward ...

to become their next head coach. , - !colspan=12 style=, Exhibition , - !colspan=12 style=, Regular season , - !colspan=12 style="", SEC tournament , - !colspan=12 style=, NCAA tournament Sources:

Rankings

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2023-24 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball seasons

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

Kentucky basketball, men, 2023-24 Kentucky basketball, men, 2023-24