The Southeastern Conference portion of the 2022-23 Kentucky men’s basketball schedule was confirmed on Wednesday by the league office.
TV designations, tip times and the entirety of Kentucky’s schedule will be announced soon.
The Wildcats will play an 18-game league schedule in their pursuit of a 50th SEC regular-season championship. In addition to its annual home-and-away opponents of Florida, Tennessee and Vanderbilt, Kentucky will also take on Arkansas and Georgia twice during the 2022-23 season.
The league has earned 27 berths in the last four NCAA Tournaments and had at least one team advance to the Elite Eight in 10 of the last 12 tournaments. All 14 SEC teams have made at least one appearance in the NCAA Tournament during the last seven seasons.
Further enhancing the competitiveness of the league, 23 of ESPN.com’s Top 100 recruits having signed with SEC schools for the 2022-23 class. The SEC boasts six of ESPN.com’s Top 25 incoming recruiting classes.
The Wildcats’ returning core is headlined by Oscar Tshiebwe, the reigning National Player of the Year, who led the country with 15.1 rebounds per game and also paced the Cats in scoring at 17.4 points per game. Kentucky will also welcome back Sahvir Wheeler, who led the conference and ranked third in the country with 6.9 assists per game. Forwards Daimion Collins, Jacob Toppin and Lance Ware all were instrumental in helping the Wildcats to a 26-8 record and a No. 2 national seed in the NCAA Tournament a year ago.
In all, UK is returning 44.3% of its scoring production, 58.4% of its rebounding, 50% of its steals, 51.2% of its assists and 72.3% of its blocks from a season ago.
Kentucky also welcomes in five dynamic newcomers, including top-10 signees Chris Livingston and Cason Wallace. Both players were Gatorade State Players of the Year and McDonald’s All Americans. Fast-rising prospects Adou Thiero and Ugonna Onyenso inked with the Cats during the late signing period. UK also added one of the top transfers in Antonio Reeves, who ranked among the nation’s top 20 individual scorers a season ago at Illinois State averaging 20.1 points per game.
The team enjoyed a 4-0 record during its foreign tour at the Big Blue Bahamas in August, winning its games by an average margin of 50 points per game. Reeves paced six players averaging double-figures with 17.0 points per game. UK shot 54.8% from the field, 38.1% from long range and 84.8% from the free-throw line. Kentucky also outrebounded its foes by 19.3 boards per game.
Kentucky’s defense was stifling with an average of 14.0 steals and 7.3 blocks per game. UK limited its opponents to just 56.5 points per game and 36.3% shooting from the field.
Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter’s Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.