Kentucky mens basketball unveils full 2022-2023 schedule

Kentucky+Wildcats+head+coach+John+Calipari+coaches+his+team+from+the+sideline+during+the+UK+vs.+Tennessee+basketball+game+on+Saturday%2C+Jan.+15%2C+2022%2C+at+Rupp+Arena+in+Lexington%2C+Kentucky.+UK+won+107-79.+Photo+by+Jack+Weaver+%7C+Staff

Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari coaches his team from the sideline during the UK vs. Tennessee basketball game on Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. UK won 107-79. Photo by Jack Weaver | Staff

Cole Parke, Sports Editor

The Kentucky mens basketball team officially revealed its 2022-2023 schedule on Tuesday, formally showing all the matchups the Wildcats will have this season.

The reveal was the culmination after several smaller reveals that had come in the months leading up to the full reveal including the conference schedule reveal, the announcement of the home-and-home with Gonzaga and the announcement of the second annual “Unity Series.”

Coming off a disappointing NCAA Tournament loss to No. 15 Saint Peter’s, the Wildcats look to rebound with the return of consensus national player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe, starting point guard Sahvir Wheeler, developed players like Jacob Toppin and Lance Ware, veteran transfer Antonio Reeves and highly touted freshman recruits Chris Livingston, Cason Wallace and Adou Thiero.

The mens basketball festivities kick off on Oct. 14 with the annual Big Blue Madness event beginning at 7 p.m.

The men return on Oct. 22 for the annual Blue-White Game, which is being played in Appalachian Wireless Arena in Pikeville to support the victims of the flooding that occured in eastern Kentucky earlier this year.

Following the two scrimmages, Kentucky hosts two exhibition games against NCAA Division-2 schools Missouri Western State and Kentucky State on Oct. 30 and Nov. 3 respectively.

Officially kicking off the regular season on Nov. 7, Kentucky faces off with Howard inside Rupp Arena in the first ever meeting between the two schools.

The Wildcats host a second straight home game in Rupp Arena, this time against Duquesne, on Nov. 11, the third ever meeting between the programs with UK winning 93-59 on Nov. 20, 2016.

Moving forward to one of the biggest games of the season, especially early on, Kentucky travels to Indianapolis for the State Farm Champions Classic against Michigan State on Nov. 15 inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

Following the matchup, Kentucky returns home to face off against South Carolina State on Nov. 17, before hitting the road to Spokane, Washington, to face Gonzaga in the aforementioned home-and-home series on Nov. 20.

Kentucky has two more home non-conference opponents after the Gonzaga matchup, facing North Florida on Nov. 23 and Bellarmine on Nov. 29, before traveling to London, England, to face off against Michigan on Dec. 4.

Returning home again, Kentucky hosts Yale on Dec.10 before immediately traveling to New York City to face off against UCLA inside Madison Square Garden for the CBS Sports Classic on Dec.17 in the final regular season neutral site game.

Following UCLA, Kentucky hosts Florida A&M in the second annual “Unity Series” on Dec. 21 before hitting the road for its first SEC game of the year against Missouri on Dec. 28.
Kentucky has two back-to-back home games following the road SEC game, hosting Louisville on Dec. 31 and LSU on Jan. 3.

The matchup against the Cardinals is noteworthy as it marks the return of one of the most bitter rivalries in college basketball after Louisville had to pull-out of the match in 2021 for concerns surrounding COVID-19.

From Jan. 7-24 the Cats get into the first big chunk of their conference schedule that can be read about in the full SEC schedule reveal above.

Following that bulk, the Cats host the reigning national championship winning Kansas Jayhawks in Rupp Arena on Jan. 28 as part of the SEC/Big 12 challenge.

Kentucky returns to conference play on Jan. 31, undergoing the second bulk of its conference schedule until it concludes its regular season on the road at Arkansas on Mar. 4.

As it stands, the SEC Tournament is scheduled to take place from Mar. 8-12, with Kentucky seeking its first SEC Tournament Championship since 2018.

With the hype surrounding the program its likely Kentucky can expect a bid to the 2023 NCAA Tournament, whether that be as an SEC Champion and or an at-large candidate, with the 2023 Final Four currently scheduled to take place in Houston, Texas.