The Kentucky basketball schedule is out. Here’s what you need to know on all 26 opponents.
With the release of the Kentucky men’s basketball non-conference schedule for the 2023-24 season Thursday, every one of the Wildcats’ opponents for the upcoming campaign is now known.
All 26 of them.
UK will face 13 non-conference foes — with Kansas, North Carolina, Gonzaga, Louisville and Miami among the big names there — and the Cats will see all 13 of their fellow Southeastern Conference teams at least once during the season. (Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Vanderbilt will play Kentucky twice each.)
That adds up to 31 regular-season games, and, perhaps, the toughest schedule John Calipari has faced as he enters his 15th year as the Wildcats’ head coach. The 2023-24 slate features 15 games against high-major programs that are projected to make next year’s NCAA Tournament — according to the (very) early ESPN Bracketology predictions — and several of the teams on UK’s schedule are highly rated in various preseason Top 25 rankings, including Kansas, the popular pick as the No. 1 team in the country entering this season.
Last year, the SEC revealed specific dates for league games on Sept. 7, and a similar timeline is expected for the official release of this season’s matchups.
Here’s a closer look at all of Kentucky’s 26 opponents on the 2023-24 schedule, along with those teams’ results last season and a just-for-fun glance at each UK foe’s national standing in the preseason Torvik ratings. (The Cats are currently No. 18 on that list.)
Kansas
Date of game: Nov. 14 in Chicago (Champions Classic).
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 2.
2022-23 record: 28-8 (1 seed).
Final KenPom rating: No. 9.
Need to know: Slotted at No. 2 in the Torvik ratings — behind Purdue and returning national player of the year Zach Edey — but listed at No. 1 just about everywhere else, the Jayhawks’ roster features an enviable blend of returnees and newcomers. Back from last season’s team, which finished No. 4 in the final AP rankings, are three key starters: Kevin McCullar Jr., K.J. Adams Jr., and Dajuan Harris Jr., all upperclassmen. Bill Self also locked up the consensus No. 1-ranked transfer of the offseason — former Michigan center Hunter Dickinson, who at one point seemed to be leaning toward Kentucky — and will also bring in Nick Timberlake, a fifth-year guard who averaged 17.7 points per game at Towson last season and was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 30 transfer nationally. It’s a formidable group as Self chases his third national title and second in the past three seasons. And the timing of this game — the second week of the season — might be treacherous for a UK team that will be overly reliant on college freshmen.
Tennessee
Date of games: TBA (two games).
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 6.
2022-23 record: 25-11 (4 seed).
Final KenPom rating: No. 6.
Need to know: Placed No. 8 in ESPN’s preseason Top 25 and No. 14 in the CBS Sports’ 2023-24 rankings, the Vols get back Santiago Vescovi, Zakai Zeigler, Josiah-Jordan James and Jonas Aidoo from last season’s team, in addition to Northern Colorado transfer Dalton Knecht (20.2 ppg, 38.1 percent on three-pointers last season) and South Carolina Upstate transfer Jordan Gainey (14.5 ppg and 40.8 percent from three in his two seasons there). Rick Barnes’ program has been one of the best in the SEC over the past several years, and this season should be no different. In fact, the Vols are the highest rated team in the league in both the ESPN preseason rankings and the early Torvik projections for 2023-24.
Gonzaga
Date of game: Feb. 10 in Lexington.
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 11.
2022-23 record: 31-6 (3 seed).
Final KenPom rating: No. 8.
Need to know: The second of six games in a new UK-Gonzaga series that was announced last year, this one is shaping up as another marquee matchup nationally. The Zags lost quite a bit this past offseason — Drew Timme and Julian Strawther topping the list of departures — but Coach Mark Few gets Anton Watson back, and former Kentucky signee Nolan Hickman is expected to play a major role in year three. A top-10-ranked transfer class is headlined by point guard Ryan Nembhard (Creighton) and center Graham Ike (Wyoming), both top 25 transfers nationally and expected starters for the Bulldogs this season. This will be the Zags’ first trip to Lexington and only the third meeting all-time between the two programs. UK lost 88-72 in Spokane last November.
Texas A&M
Date of game: TBA in College Station.
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 12.
2022-23 record: 25-10 (7 seed).
Final KenPom rating: No. 33.
Need to know: The Aggies surprised the SEC by finishing second in the league last season — ahead of preseason darlings Kentucky, Arkansas and Tennessee — and just one game behind Alabama, the eventual No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. Buzz Williams gets four starters back from that squad, including All-SEC guard Wade Taylor IV, and A&M will add an interesting mix of transfers that should be able to fill in any gaps. The Aggies are one of only four SEC teams to make the preseason Top 25 lists from both ESPN and CBS Sports. UK, Arkansas and Tennessee are the others.
North Carolina
Date of game: Dec. 16 in Atlanta (CBS Sports Classic)
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 14.
2022-23 record: 20-13 (no postseason).
Final KenPom rating: No. 43.
Need to know: The Tar Heels are coming off one of the most disappointing college basketball seasons in recent memory. This time last year, UNC was just a few months removed from an appearance in the NCAA title game and about to enter the 2022-23 campaign with the No. 1 ranking in the AP poll. The Heels ultimately became the first such team to miss the NCAA Tournament. Expectations won’t be quite that high this season, but Carolina still looks like a squad that — on paper, at least — could return to the Final Four, with veteran stars Armando Bacot and R.J. Davis back for another run, potential impact transfers Cormac Ryan (Notre Dame), Harrison Ingram (Stanford) and Jae’Lyn Withers (Louisville) coming in, and five-star point guard Elliot Cadeau reclassifying to join the program a year early. Even with that stunning immediate success in the postseason in year one as head coach, Hubert Davis probably needs results this season to avoid “hot seat” talk around his status at UNC.
Florida
Date of games: TBA (two games).
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 16.
2022-23 record: 16-17 (NIT).
Final KenPom rating: No. 74.
Need to know: The placement for the Gators in the early Torvik ratings is a surprise. They’re coming off a losing season in their first year under Coach Todd Golden, and they’re absent from the major preseason college basketball rankings lists (though ESPN does have them as one of the first five teams outside of the Top 25). Florida loses Colin Castleton, but second-leading scorer Will Richard returns, as does third-leading scorer Riley Kugel, who emerged as a potential future star toward the end of his freshman year last season. To help them out, Golden is going all in on transfers. Florida’s transfer group is ranked 12th nationally by 247Sports and includes Marshall 7-footer Micah Handlogten (7.6 ppg, 9.8 rpg and 2.3 bpg last season), UC Riverside point guard Zyon Pullin (18.3 ppg) and Iona point guard Walter Clayton Jr. (16.8 ppg), among other possible impact players.
Alabama
Date of game: TBA in Lexington.
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 20.
2022-23 record: 31-6 (1 seed).
Final KenPom rating: No. 4.
Need to know: The No. 1 overall seed in last season’s NCAA Tournament, the Crimson Tide were upset in the Sweet Sixteen, and while they lost SEC player of the year Brandon Miller — along with some other key players — Nate Oats’ bunch should be formidable once again. Fourth-year guard Mark Sears will be the Tide’s top returnee, and Oats has landed the SEC’s top-ranked transfer class, as well as the league’s No. 2-ranked group of recruits (behind only Kentucky). Among the most intriguing newcomers: former North Dakota State big man Grant Nelson (17.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg last season), Hofstra guard Aaron Estrada (20.2 ppg), Cal State Fullerton guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (16.3 ppg) and top-50 recruit Jarin Stevenson.
Auburn
Date of game: TBA in Auburn.
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 26.
2022-23 record: 21-13 (9 seed).
Final KenPom rating: No. 32.
Need to know: A program heavy in returnees, Auburn gets back former Morehead State star Johni Broome, who led the Tigers in points, rebounds and blocks last season, along with Jaylin Williams and K.D. Johnson. And while Bruce Pearl went light on newcomers — 247Sports ranks the Tigers 13th in the SEC on both the transfer and recruiting lists — there are a couple of big-time additions in that mix: five-star point guard Aden Holloway and former Florida International shooting guard Denver Jones (20.1 ppg last season). ESPN has Auburn as one of five teams that just missed the cut for that preseason Top 25 list.
Arkansas
Date of games: TBA (two games).
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 27.
2022-23 record: 22-14 (8 seed).
Final KenPom rating: No. 22.
Need to know: Despite a disappointing season relative to expectations in 2022-23 — the Hogs were picked second on the preseason SEC list and finished tied for ninth, with a losing league record — Arkansas still managed to get to the Sweet Sixteen for the third consecutive year. ESPN and CBS Sports rank Arkansas at No. 14 and No. 11, respectively, at this stage in the preseason, so they’re higher on the Hogs than the Torvik numbers. Ricky Council IV, Anthony Black and Nick Smith Jr. are all gone, but Devo Davis (10.9 ppg) is back and was Arkansas’ top three-point shooter last season. Potential first-round NBA Draft pick Trevon Brazile will have high expectations after missing nearly all of last season due to injury. High-impact transfers Khalif Battle (17.9 ppg at Temple), Tramon Mark (10.1 ppg at 1-seeded Houston) and El Ellis (17.7 ppg at Louisville) headline one of the nation’s top transfer classes, and Eric Musselman’s latest recruiting class features highly touted center Baye Fall and potential impact guard Layden Blocker. The Cats and Hogs will play twice — once in Lexington, once in Fayetteville — for the second consecutive season.
Mississippi State
Date of games: TBA (two games).
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 38.
2022-23 record: 21-13 (11 seed).
Final KenPom rating: No. 53.
Need to know: Mississippi State was a bit of a surprise in year one under Coach Chris Jans — making the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years and just the second time in 14 years — and the expectations are still there this season. In fact, CBS has Mississippi State at No. 25 in its preseason rankings. The Bulldogs get back all five of their top scorers from last season, including big man Tolu Smith and former UK commitment D.J. Jeffries. That group will be bolstered by Kentucky native Andrew Taylor (a top 100 national transfer from Marshall) and Trey Fort, one of the top junior-college recruits in the country.
Louisiana State
Date of game: TBA in Baton Rouge.
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 45.
2022-23 record: 14-19 (no postseason).
Final KenPom rating: No. 151.
Need to know: Somewhat surprisingly, LSU finished dead last in the SEC last season (after being picked eighth in the preseason media poll and getting off to a 12-1 start). Former Murray State head coach Matt McMahon will attempt to right the ship in his second year in charge of the Tigers, who are likely to be led almost entirely by newcomers. That group will include former Tulane guard Jalen Cook (19.9 ppg last season), former Santa Clara guard Carlos Stewart (15.2 ppg), Nevada 7-footer Will Baker (13.6 ppg), former Vanderbilt guard Jordan Wright (10.6 ppg) and former Kentucky forward Daimion Collins, a high-upside addition who was surrounded by NBA Draft buzz heading into both of his previous seasons in Lexington.
Mississippi
Date of game: TBA in Lexington.
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 47.
2022-23 record: 12-21 (no postseason).
Final KenPom rating: No. 122.
Need to know: Ole Miss will have the only new addition to the SEC coaching corps this season: Chris Beard, who led Texas Tech to the national title game in 2019 and was dismissed by Texas midway through last season after being charged in a felony domestic violence case. Since arriving in Oxford, Beard has put together the SEC’s No. 3-ranked transfer class, according to 247Sports, a group led by Georgetown guard Brandon Murray (13.7 ppg last season), former Auburn guard Allen Flanigan (10.1 ppg), former five-star recruit Moussa Cisse (8.0 rpg, 1.9 bpg at Oklahoma State last season) and former Western Kentucky star Jamarion Sharp, who led the NCAA in blocked shots each of the past two seasons. On top of that, Ole Miss returns its top two scorers from last season: Matthew Murrell (14.4 ppg) and Jaemyn Brakefield (11.1 ppg). The Rebels could flirt with the Top 25 rankings if everything clicks.
Miami
Date of game: Nov. 28 in Lexington (ACC-SEC Challenge).
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 51.
2022-23 record: 29-8 (5 seed).
Final KenPom rating: No. 24.
Need to know: Rated quite a bit lower by the Torvik metrics than the national websites — CBS has Miami at No. 10; ESPN ranks them 18th — the Hurricanes lose leading scorers Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller off last season’s national semifinalist team, but they will return the next four players in the scoring column: Nijel Pack, Norchad Omier, Wooga Poplar and Bensley Joseph. The Canes also picked up former five-star recruit Matthew Cleveland, who was ACC Sixth Man of the Year as a freshman and led Florida State in scoring last season. This will be Kentucky’s first game in the new ACC/SEC Challenge, and it should be a major marker for the Cats’ progress early in the season.
Missouri
Date of game: TBA in Lexington.
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 64.
2022-23 record: 25-10 (7 seed).
Final KenPom rating: No. 57.
Need to know: Another SEC surprise with a first-year head coach, Mizzou was picked 11th in the preseason last year and finished tied for fourth in the league. Dennis Gates will lose his top four scorers from last year, leaving forward Noah Carter (9.6 ppg) and guards Nick Honor (7.9 ppg) and Sean East II (7.3 ppg) as the top returnees. Gates bolstered his roster with an intriguing mix of veteran newcomers, including guard Curt Lewis, perhaps the top junior-college player in the country, along with former Iowa State guard Caleb Grill (9.5 ppg), former Colorado State guard John Tonje (14.6 ppg) and well-traveled, 7-5 center Connor Vanover, who will be at his fourth college in five seasons.
Vanderbilt
Date of game: TBA (two games).
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 81.
2022-23 record: 22-15 (NIT).
Final KenPom rating: No. 81.
Need to know: Coach Jerry Stackhouse has guided Vandy to two consecutive trips to the NIT quarterfinals and exceeded expectations last season with an 11-7 league mark despite major injury troubles. The Dores will lose Liam Robbins, Jordan Wright and some other key players, but fourth-year guard Tyrin Lawrence (13.1 ppg) is back, as is fifth-year guard Ezra Manjon (10.5 ppg), who scored at least 15 points in each of Vandy’s final seven games last season. Former Notre Dame forward Ven-Allen Lubin (6.2 ppg and 4.4 rpg as a freshman) headlines the incoming transfers, and Stackhouse’s group will likely have to exceed preseason expectations again to make the postseason for a third straight year. (And in case you missed it: Brad Calipari, the son of John Calipari, will be on Vandy’s coaching staff this season.)
Georgia
Date of game: TBA in Lexington.
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 88.
2022-23 record: 16-16 (no postseason).
Final KenPom rating: No. 154.
Need to know: Former Florida coach Mike White achieved a .500 record and 6-12 showing in the SEC in his first season with the Bulldogs, finishing 11th in the league after being picked to end up 13th in the preseason. Georgia’s top three leading scorers — Terry Roberts, Kario Oquendo and Braelen Bridges — are all gone. Point guard Justin Hill (8.6 ppg) and forwards Jabri Abdur-Rahim (7.1 ppg) and Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe (5.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg) are back. The Dogs also have the league’s No. 3 recruiting class and No. 6 transfer class, with nine newcomers in all. Several of those additions had solid showings on the Dogs’ undefeated summer trip to Italy last month, so perhaps it could be another season of incremental progress in Athens.
UNC Wilmington
Date of game: Dec. 2 in Lexington.
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 106.
2022-23 record: 24-10 (no postseason).
Final KenPom rating: No. 152.
Need to know: The third-place team in the CAA last season, UNC Wilmington shared the conference championship (and won the postseason CBI tournament) the year before that and project to be among the league’s top teams again in 2023-24, the fourth year under Coach Takayo Siddle. All of the Seahawks’ top four scorers from last season are back, including junior forward Trazarien White, who led the team with 14.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. UNC Wilmington also happens to be the place where John Calipari started his college basketball playing career (before transferring to Division II Clarion State).
South Carolina
Date of game: TBA in Columbia.
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 107.
2022-23 record: 11-21 (no postseason).
Final KenPom rating: No. 221.
Need to know: The Gamecocks were picked last in the SEC for the 2022-23 season, and Coach Lamont Paris guided them to a 12th-place finish in the league, with four conference wins (including a shocker at Rupp Arena). They might be picked last again this year, with three of their top four scorers — including one-and-done NBA Draft pick GG Jackson — now gone. Senior guard Meechie Johnson Jr. (12.7 ppg, and a career-high 26 in that win in Rupp) is the top returnee. The roster is bolstered by an intriguing mix of presumably instant-impact transfers, including a trio of grad students: guards Ta’Lon Cooper (9.9 ppg at Minnesota last season) and Myles Stute (8.4 ppg at Vanderbilt), and forward B.J. Mack (16.6 ppg at Wofford). Oh, and Austin Herro, younger brother of Tyler Herro, is also on South Carolina’s roster.
Saint Joseph’s
Date of game: Nov. 20 in Lexington (Wildcat Challenge).
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 131.
2022-23 record: 16-17 (no postseason).
Final KenPom rating: No. 191.
Need to know: Saint Joseph’s will be the biggest name of the three opponents in Kentucky’s “multi-team event” (MTE) this season, which isn’t saying much. The Hawks finished in a tie for eighth last season in the Atlantic 10, which was a one-bid NCAA Tournament league for the first time since 2005, and they’re projected to be a middle-of-the-pack team in the conference once again. There will be plenty of continuity here, however, with the top three scorers from last season — guard trio Erik Reynolds II (19.6 ppg), Cameron Brown (13.3 ppg) and Lynn Greer III (12.5 ppg) — all back. Reynolds was also the team’s top three-point shooter last season, while Brown led the team in rebounds and Greer topped the Hawks in assists.
Marshall
Date of game: Nov. 24 in Lexington.
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 144.
2022-23 record: 24-8 (no postseason).
Final KenPom rating: No. 83.
Need to know: This will be the first time in 11 years that Kentucky has played Marshall, located just across the state border in Huntington, W.Va. The Thundering Herd finished a game outside of first place in the Sun Belt last season before getting upset in their first game of the league tournament. Dan D’Antoni, who enters his 10th year as head coach, will lose his two leaders in scoring and assists from last season, as well as Micah Handlogten, who led the Herd with 9.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots per game. Fifth-year guard Kamdyn Curfman (11.5 ppg) is the top returning scorer. Marshall was eighth in the nation in scoring (81.8 ppg) and fifth in assists (17.5 apg), and the up-tempo D’Antoni style of basketball should make for an entertaining game in Rupp on the day after Thanksgiving.
Louisville
Date of game: Dec. 21 in Louisville.
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 145.
2022-23 record: 4-28 (no postseason).
Final KenPom rating: No. 290.
Need to know: Year one of the Kenny Payne era did not go well, to put it kindly. The former UK assistant is obviously hoping for a major turnaround this season, though outside expectations are likely to be low. (For instance, the Torvik numbers project U of L at 14th in the ACC, ahead of only Notre Dame.) Second-leading scorer Mike James (10.1 ppg) and top rebounder Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (6.7 rpg) are back, along with veteran forward JJ Traynor and sophomore big man Emmanuel Okorafor. Payne has some interesting additions, too — including ex-UK commitment Skyy Clark, the Cards’ likely starter at point guard — but Louisville lost its top recruit, Trentyn Flowers, to the pros earlier this month, a big blow to the roster at an unfortunate time. Payne is still preaching patience as he tries to return the program to its former glory, but he’ll need a major uptick in wins to stave off the rumblings about his future job status.
Penn
Date of game: Dec. 9 in Philadelphia.
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 185.
2022-23 record: 17-13 (no postseason).
Final KenPom rating: No. 126.
Need to know: Kentucky will travel to Penn’s hometown of Philly for this one, though it will be played in the Wells Fargo Center (home of the 76ers) instead of the famed Palestra, making this a neutral-site game. This will also be a homecoming of sorts for star UK freshmen Aaron Bradshaw, Justin Edwards and D.J. Wagner, who are all from the Philadelphia area. The Quakers finished a game behind Ivy League co-champs Princeton and Yale last season, and they’ll get four of their top five scorers back from that campaign, but the departing player at the top of that list is a big one. Jordan Dingle was second in the nation in scoring last season with 23.4 points per game and was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 14 transfer this offseason, ultimately landing with Rick Pitino at St. John’s. Penn went to 22 NCAA Tournaments between 1970 and 2007 but has been to March Madness just once since then.
New Mexico State
Date of game: Nov. 6 in Lexington.
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 194.
2022-23 record: 9-15 (no postseason).
Final KenPom rating: No. 187.
Need to know: New Mexico State has an entirely new roster and coaching staff following a 2022-23 season that was canceled early with forfeits of the remaining games due to a series of off-the-court scandals. Longtime Sam Houston State head coach Jason Hooten is now in charge of the program, and the revamped roster is heavy on transfers, including former Seton Hall guard Femi Odukale (7.3 ppg last season), ex-UCF guard Brandon Suggs (6.6 ppg) and former Western Kentucky guard Jordan Rawls (7.5 ppg). UK’s season opener is not expected to be a difficult one.
Illinois State
Date of game: Dec. 29 in Lexington.
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 226.
2022-23 record: 11-21 (no postseason).
Final KenPom rating: No. 289.
Need to know: The former team of Kentucky senior Antonio Reeves hasn’t finished better than eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference in any of the past four years. (The Redbirds were ninth last season.) Four of their top five scorers from last season are back — including senior guard Darius Buford (12.9 ppg) — but the Torvik projections have them finishing 10th in the league this time around.
Texas A&M Commerce
Date of game: Nov. 10 in Lexington (Wildcat Challenge).
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 324
2022-23 record: 13-20 (no postseason).
Final KenPom rating: No. 307.
Need to know: The Lions are going into year two of their transition from Division II to D-I college basketball and finished 9-9 in the Southland Conference last season. KenPom’s ratings pegged that league as the 30th-best in the country (out of 32). A&M Commerce will lose its top two scorers from a year ago, so that transition is likely to remain a bumpy one. The Lions will start the season at SEC foe Texas A&M on Nov. 6.
Stonehill
Date of game: Nov. 17 in Lexington (Wildcat Challenge).
2023-24 Torvik rating: No. 344.
2022-23 record: 14-17 (no postseason).
Final KenPom rating: No. 331.
Need to know: Last and quite possibly least, Stonehill College is also entering year two of its D-II-to-D-I transition. The Skyhawks managed a tie for second place in the NEC last season, though KenPom ranked that league as the 32nd and worst in all of D-I college basketball. Stonehill lost four of its top five scorers from a team that finished No. 331 (out of 363) in the KenPom ratings a season ago. This game will come three days after Kentucky plays probable No. 1-ranked Kansas in Chicago.
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