< Previous10 @KentuckyMBBIt's Easy to SAVE with the Kroger App Score big with weekly sales and digital coupons Official Grocery Partner of UK AthleticsWEEKNIGHTS 7:30 p.m. SATURDAY 9:00 a.m.KENTUCKY BASKETBALL 14 @KentuckyMBB From Press Row UK Ranked to Begin the Season Led by 15th-year head coach John Cali- pari, once again, Kentucky will begin the season ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, checking in at No. 16. • Eight Kentucky opponents enter the 2023-24 season ranked in the Top 25, in- cluding four nonconference opponents • The Wildcats are slated to play 13 games against 10 NCAA Tournament teams from a season ago Oh, Canada! Kentucky completed a sweep through the GLOBL JAM in July in Toronto with an 89- 72 victory over host Canada in the cham- pionship game. Kentucky earned an 81-73 victory over Germany in the opening game of pool play before defeating Canada 93-69 and topping an Africa Select team 104-92 to reach the championship. • Antonio Reeves was named MVP of the exhibition event, averaging 23 points per contest, while shooting 56.3% from deep • Transfer Tre Mitchell averaged 14 points and a team-high 7.8 boards per game • Justin Edwards went for 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, including a game-high 23 points in the title game • D.J. Wagner averaged 14 points and 4.8 assists per game • Reed Sheppard went for 8.5 points and a team-high 5.8 helpers per contest Calipari Ahead of the Pack Through 14 seasons at Kentucky, John Calipari's time in Lexington has been ev- ery bit as successful -- and more -- as fans hoped it would when he agreed to become the head coach at Kentucky in the spring of 2009. By just about every measure, he is the most successful coach ls who have been to at least two Final Fours since 2009-10, Cali- pari ranks: • First in NCAA Tournament wins (32) • First in Final Four appearances (four) • First in Elite Eight appearances (seven) • First in Sweet Sixteen appearances (eight) • Second in league tournament titles (six) • Third in regular-season conference titles (six) • Third in NCAA titles (one) Four on National Watch Lists Four Wildcats -- D.J Wagner, Antonio Reeves, Justin Edwards and Aaron Bradshaw -- are on major national watch lists to begin the season. Wagner is on the watch list for the Bob Cousy Award (best point guard), while Reeves is on the Jerry West Award list (best shooting guard), Edwards is on the Julius Erving Award list (best small forward) and Bradshaw is on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar list (best center). • In its history, Kentucky's Malik Monk (2017) won the West Award, Tyler Ulis (2016) captured the Cousy Award and Os- car Tshiebwe (2022) was tabbed the Ab- dul-Jabbar winner. Calipari to Receive John R. Wooden Award Legends of Coaching Honor Kentucky men’s basketball head coach John Calipari will receive the John R. Wood- en Award Legends of Coaching honor in 2024. Calipari will be presented with the honor along with the 2024 Wooden Award winners on April 12, 2024. The Legends of Coaching Award was ad- opted by the Wooden Award Steering Com- mittee in 1999. The honorees are selected based on character, success on the court, graduation rate of student-athletes in their basketball program, coaching philosophy and identification with the goals of the John R. Wooden Award.Thank You to Our CORNERSTONE PARTNERS OFFICIAL BANK OF UK ATHLETICSNEKENTUCKY BASKETBALL 18 @KentuckyMBB Around the SEC Around the Country Final 2022-23 SEC Standings and Statistics Team SEC Overall Home Road Alabama 16-2 31-6 15-0 9-3 Texas A&M 15-3 25-10 15-1 7-4 Kentucky 12-6 22-12 14-4 6-4 Missouri 11-7 25-10 16-3 5-5 Tennessee 11-7 25-11 14-2 4-6 Vanderbilt 11-7 22-15 14-6 5-6 Auburn 10-8 21-13 14-2 4-8 Florida 9-9 16-17 10-6 4-7 Mississippi State 8-10 21-13 12-4 4-6 Arkansas 8-10 22-14 14-3 2-8 Georgia 6-12 16-16 13-4 1-10 South Carolina 4-14 11-21 7-8 4-8 Ole Miss 3-15 12-21 7-10 2-9 LSU 2-16 14-19 10-8 0-9 Scoring Player-Team ...................................................................PPG Brandon Miller, ALA ......................................................18.8 KJ Williams, LSU ...........................................................17.7 Oscar Tshiebwe, UK ......................................................16.5 Wade Taylor IV, TAMU ...................................................16.3 Ricky Council IV, ARK ...................................................16.1 Rebounding Player-Team ...................................................................RPG Oscar Tshiebwe, UK ......................................................13.7 Tolu Smith, MISS ST.........................................................8.5 Johni Broome, AUB .........................................................8.4 Brandon Miller, ALA ........................................................8.2 Noah Clowney, ALA ........................................................7.9 Assists Player-Team ...................................................................APG Zakai Zeigler, UT .............................................................5.4 Cason Wallace, UK ..........................................................4.3 Wendell Green Jr., AUB ...................................................4.1 Terry Roberts, UGA .........................................................4.0 Anthony Black, ARK ........................................................3.9 Steals Player-Team ...................................................................SPG D'Moi Hodge, MIZZOU ..................................................2.6 Myles Burns, MISS ...........................................................2.4 Anthony Black, ARK ........................................................2.1 Cason Wallace, UK ..........................................................2.0 Zakai Zeigler, UT .............................................................2.0 Blocks Player-Team ...................................................................BPG Colin Castleton, UF .........................................................3.0 Johni Broome, AUB .........................................................2.4 Charles Bediako, ALA ......................................................1.8 Makhel Mitchell, ARK ......................................................1.5 Makhi Mitchell, ARK .......................................................1.4 2023-24 Associated Press Rankings As of November 1, 2023 (preseason) Team Record Points 1 Kansas (46) 0-0 1548 2 Duke (11) 0-0 1466 3 Purdue (3) 0-0 1436 4 Michigan State (1) 0-0 1346 5 Marquette 0-0 1283 6 UConn (2) 0-0 1243 7 Houston 0-0 1117 8 Creighton 0-0 1099 9 Tennessee 0-0 1032 10 Florida Atlantic 0-0 1011 11 Gonzaga 0-0 830 12 Arizona 0-0 776 13 Miami 0-0 750 14 Arkansas 0-0 685 15 Texas A&M 0-0 597 16 Kentucky 0-0 530 17 San Diego State 0-0 529 18 Texas 0-0 493 19 North Carolina 0-0 474 20 Baylor 0-0 431 21 USC 0-0 427 22 Villanova 0-0 395 23 Saint Mary's 0-0 335 24 Alabama 0-0 163 25 Illinois 0-0 104We’re your Shield. We’re your Shelter. ShelterInsurance.com • 1-800-SHELTER WE ARE PROUD TO SUPPORT THE KENTUCKY WILDCATS! KENTUCKY WILDCATS! ® ANDERSON, IN Jordan Harper BARDSTOWN Tyler Bruington BEAVER DAM Robbie Parham BOWLING GREEN Nancy Hickey Drew Hayes BUTLER Jason Laytart CAMPBELLSVILLE Taylor Burress CARLISLE Bill Clark CYNTHIANA Lee Adkins DANVILLE Troy Wheeler ELIZABETHTOWN Jamie Martin Alice Slaubaugh EMINENCE Fred Downey EVANSVILLE, IN Rick Koberstein FAIRDALE Jamie Norsworthy FLEMINGSBURG Cole Clark FLORENCE Rocky Bryan Brandi Monday FRANKLIN Lauren Roberts FRANKFORT BJ Hurst Audrey Marshall GEORGETOWN Steve Black Spencer Kilpatrick HARDINSBURG Sandra Bruington HARRODSBURG Jamie Dunn HENDERSON Megan Brown HODGENVILLE Teddy Sandford HOPKINSVILLE Alexander Capps Scott Leuckel LAGRANGE Paula Kaeser LANCASTER Cindy Lanham LAWRENCEBURG Ashley Bailey LEITCHFIELD Donna Vanmeter LEXINGTON Tony Arnold Ed Carr Linda Fugate Dawan Hart Heather Lewis Josh Miniard Willie Morrison Gene Young LIBERTY Kevin Atwood LIVERMORE Katie Gunterman LONDON Jeffery Anderson LOUISVILLE Amy Brown Corinne Ramsier Larissa Spears MADISONVILLE Brandi Hughes MAYFIELD Steve Jones MOREHEAD Caleb Staggs MOUNT STERLING Elizabeth Shelley MURRAY Doug Henry NICHOLASVILLE Marc Miller Russ Owens OWENSBORO Karen Keller PADUCAH Toby Boone RICHMOND Ashley Kovaleski Evan Worrell SHELBYVILLE Scott Martin SLAUGHTERS Sam Westfall SOMERSET Jason Weatherford SPRINGFIELD Sue Blair STANFORD Sean Slusher UNION Joey Bailey VERSAILLES Janice Frasier WINCHESTER Kay Brandenburg Olin WoolumNext >