The SEC men’s basketball schedule for 2022-23 is set. Here’s when Kentucky will play.
If everything plays out as projected, Rupp Arena won’t be lacking for interesting matchups once January rolls around.
The Southeastern Conference released the full slate of dates for the 2022-23 men’s basketball campaign Wednesday, and Kentucky’s home schedule is packed with teams expected to be included in the preseason national rankings.
The Wildcats will start things off on the road — opening SEC play with a game at Missouri on Dec. 28 — before heading home to face rival Louisville at Rupp Arena on Dec. 31.
Once the new year begins, UK will dive into the league schedule.
The Cats’ first SEC home game is set for Jan. 3 against Louisiana State.
With the 18-game league schedule, Kentucky will have nine SEC home dates and nine road trips. The matchups for those games were released earlier this year, but the exact dates of each matchup weren’t finalized until Wednesday’s schedule reveal.
In all, the Cats will host four teams ranked in CBS Sports’ latest preseason Top 25 this season, with home games against No. 18 Texas A&M on Jan. 21, No. 6 Arkansas on Feb. 7, No. 9 Tennessee on Feb. 18 and No. 13 Auburn on Feb. 25. UK also gets a Feb. 4 home game against Florida, which is not included in the CBS preseason Top 25 but is projected as a 2023 NCAA Tournament team in the latest Bracketology update from ESPN.
Kentucky is No. 4 in the CBS Sports rankings, best in the SEC.
The Cats should get at least a couple of incredibly tough road matchups in league play. UK will travel to Tennessee on Jan. 14 and Arkansas on March 4, the regular-season finale. The Cats’ only matchup this season with Alabama — ranked No. 21 on the CBS Sports list — is scheduled for Jan. 7 in Tuscaloosa. The Cats also play at Florida on Feb. 22.
UK does not have to play Auburn or Texas A&M on the road this season. The other SEC teams that won’t get to host Kentucky in 2022-23 are LSU and South Carolina.
The Razorbacks are projected by many national outlets to be UK’s top competition for league title honors this season. With fourth-year head coach Eric Musselman revitalizing the Razorbacks’ program — the Hogs have been to the Elite Eight in each of the past two seasons — the excitement is back in Fayetteville, and the atmosphere Kentucky will play in on March 4 should make for a tough test. Arkansas is adding a trio of five-star recruits — led by former UK target Nick Smith Jr. — and another wave of talented transfers for this season.
Arkansas defeated Kentucky, 75-73, in Fayetteville last season, and John Calipari was ejected from the game in the Wildcats’ previous visit to Bud Walton Arena in 2020 (though UK ultimately won that game). This is the first time since 2014 that Kentucky and Arkansas will play each other twice in the regular season.
Tennessee is projected by ESPN as a No. 2 seed in next year’s NCAA Tournament and will return four of its top five scorers from last season, including Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James.
Auburn, which won the SEC with a 15-3 league record last season, loses Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler, but Bruce Pearl’s program will return four of its top six scorers and add a couple of talented big men: former Morehead State star Johni Broome and one-time UK recruiting target Yohan Traore.
With the 2022-23 season opener about two months away, Kentucky’s full non-conference schedule has still not yet been finalized.
That slate will feature several marquee matchups, including home games against defending national champion Kansas (Jan. 28) and in-state rival Louisville (Dec. 31).
UK will also play neutral-site games against Michigan State (Nov. 15 in Indianapolis), Michigan (Dec. 4 in London) and UCLA (Dec. 17 in New York), as well as a trip to the Spokane Arena to face possible No. 1-ranked Gonzaga on Nov. 20.
The rest of Kentucky’s 2022-23 schedule — as well as final details for Big Blue Madness and the Blue-White scrimmage — will be released soon. The first Associated Press poll for the 2022-23 season is expected to be posted next month.
Kentucky’s 2022-23 SEC schedule
Home games in all capital letters. Game times and TV assignments to be announced at a later date.
Wed. Dec 28: At Missouri
Tues. Jan 3: LSU
Sat. Jan. 7: At Alabama
Tues. Jan. 10: SOUTH CAROLINA
Sat. Jan. 14: At Tennessee
Tues. Jan. 17: GEORGIA
Sat. Jan. 21: TEXAS A&M
Tues. Jan. 24: At Vanderbilt
Tues. Jan. 31: At Ole Miss
Sat. Feb. 4: FLORIDA
Tues. Feb. 7: ARKANSAS
Sat. Feb. 11: At Georgia
Wed. Feb. 15: At Mississippi State
Sat. Feb. 18: TENNESSEE
Wed. Feb. 22: At Florida
Sat. Feb. 25: AUBURN
Wed. March 1: VANDERBILT
Sat. March 4: At Arkansas
This story was originally published September 7, 2022 at 11:18 AM.
