After his No. 2 seed Kentucky Wildcats lost 79-85 to No. 15 seed St. Peters in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, John Calipari started his offseason earlier than he would’ve liked – and it was a busy offseason to say the least.
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Calipari got reigning National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe to return to Lexington, along with All-SEC point guard Sahvir Wheeler. And after a great showing in the Bahamas in August, both Calipari and the fans should be excited about the team heading into next season. Three-point shooting will be vastly better as four players shot above 40% with a minimum of 10 attempts. CJ Fredrick, who transferred from Iowa last summer but sat out in 2021-22 because of injury, didn’t shoot great in the Bahamas, but he averaged 46.8% from the arc in his two seasons with the Hawkeyes so look for him to be a threat as well.
Incoming freshmen Chris Livingston and Cason Wallace showed promise as they averaged 9.8 and 10.5 points per game respectively. Returning player Damion Collins showed major improvements in the Bahamas and averaged 10.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, while fellow returnee Jacob Toppin broke out as he scored 16.8 points a game shooting 56.5% from the field and 53.3% from three.
Lastly, Antonio Reeves looked amazing during the trip, leading the team in scoring with 17.0 PPG while shooting 52.4% from the field, 51.9% from three, and 100% from the free throw line. Reeves is a transfer from Illinois St and averaged 20.1 PPG last season.
Kentucky has released their 2022-23 basketball schedule, which features some nice games during conference play, but especially in the non-conference. Here are the key Kentucky basketball schedule matchups you need to know.
Michigan State | Champions Classic | Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN | Tue, Nov. 15
The Spartans lose their top three scorers from last season’s team, but return the top four scorers behind those three. 2022 4-stars Jaxon Kohler and Tre Holloman will also join the Spartans this season. Michigan State finished 22-12 and 7th in the Big Ten last season. They got a 7th seed in the NCAA Tournament, beat Davidson, and gave a good fight before losing to No. 2 seed Duke. While it might not be a fantastic year for the Spartans, never count out the abilities of Tom Izzo.
Gonzaga | Spokane Arena, Spokane, WA | Sun, Nov. 20
First announced as a “home and home” earlier this offseason, Calipari recently announced the Gonzaga series will last 6 seasons ending in 2027. Three of the games will be at a neutral site and three will be home games – two at Rupp Arena, and the last game at the Kennel. Gonzaga will likely be a preseason top three team heading into the season, so there is potential for a top-five matchup. Tshiebwe vs Gonzaga star Drew Timme is a matchup college hoops fans will love.
Michigan | Basketball HOF London Showcase, The O2 Arena, London, UK | Sun, Dec. 4
After some setbacks in this series, Kentucky vs Michigan in London is finally happening. It is the start of a three game series, with the other two games being home and home. Michigan returns potential Big Ten POY Hunter Dickinson, and brings in three top 60 recruits, including head coach Juwan Howard’s son Jett Howard who performed very well at the Iverson Classic.
UCLA | CBS Sports Classic | Madison Square Garden, New York, NY | Sat, Dec. 17
The Bruins will likely be the best team in the Pac-12 this season, along with being one of the best teams in the country. UCLA loses leading scorer, and former Wildcat, Johnny Juzang to the NBA Draft, and double-digit scorer Jules Bernard, but returns key pieces in Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyger Campbell. Mick Cronin also brings in class of 2022 top 20 big Adem Bona, and top 10 guard Amari Bailey.
Louisville | Battle of the Bluegrass | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY | Sat, Dec. 31
Calipari’s former right-hand man Kenny Payne is now the head coach of Louisville. Payne played for Louisville and won the 1986 national championship with the Cardinals. He brings in Nolan Smith from Duke, Danny Manning from Maryland, and Josh Jamieson from Oregon to join him on the coaching staff. Louisville didn’t have a double-digit scorer last season, but returns a lot of pieces including big man Sydney Curry and dynamic guard El Ellis.
Tennessee | Knoxville, TN – Sat, Jan. 14 | Lexington, KY – Sat, Feb. 18
Tennessee will be one of the best teams in the SEC this season, and will face the Wildcats twice in SEC play. The Volunteers beat Kentucky while on their way to winning the 2022 SEC Tournament, and return four of their top five scorers from that team, including 2022 All SEC First-Team member Santiago Vescovi. Zakai Zeigler is a potential breakout player nationally and will be the starting point guard for Rick Barnes’ team.
Kansas | Big 12/SEC Challenge | Rupp Arena, Lexington, KY | Sat, Jan. 28
The Wildcats beat the Jayhawks inside Allen Fieldhouse by 18 last season. Now the game is at Rupp Arena and it’ll be interesting to see if the reigning national champions can get revenge, or if the Wildcats can defend their win in this series. The Jayhawks return Jalen Wilson and DaJuan Harris Jr. from last season’s championship team, and bring in 2022 5-star Gradey Dick and 2022 4-stars Ernest Udeh and MJ Rice.
Arkansas | Lexington, KY – Tue, Feb. 7 | Fayetteville, AR – Sat, March 4
Eric Musselman did one of the best coaching jobs this off season by reloading Arkansas’ roster after losing most of their important players from last season. The Razorbacks return Davonte Davis (8.3 PPG) and Kamani Johnson (2.3 PPG), but bring in the number two ranked recruiting class in the nation. That class is led by 5-stars Nick Smith, Jordan Walsh and Anthony Black. Musselman also did plenty of work in the transfer portal featuring the Mitchell twins, Makhi and Makhel, from Rhode Island and Ricky Council IV from Wichita St.
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