Kentucky Basketball: 2023-24 preview for the Wildcats
2023-24 Season Outlook
Head coach John Calipari continues to rely on traditional methods to remain relevant in the ever-changing college landscape. This past season, four of his players were drafted to NBA teams and his method of continuing to recruit top-rated freshmen continues to hold.
Justin Edwards, D.J. Wagner and Rob Dillingham are an impressive trio and Tre Mitchell and Antonio Reeves bring the veteran moxie to lead the way for this group. Reeves will take some pressure off Edwards to be a scorer right away but all three will need to show they can hold their own defensively or it could be a long season for them.
Reed Sheppard is a wildcard for them given he grew up in the state and was a no-brainer to attend the school after being named 2023 Mr. Kentucky Basketball.
It helps that the Wildcats have Mitchell as a defensive anchor in the painted area to redirect things. His ability to set the tone as a rebounder and shot-blocker will be a key to this team’s success in 2023-24.
Zvonimir Ivišić is another underrated addition for this squad who has the potential to make some noise on the All-Freshmen and All-Defensive stage. He’s a sizeable big-man prospect who’s shown he can stretch the floor with his perimeter shooting. Kentucky finished second in the conference this past season in 3-point shooting (34.7 percent). He’ll look to continue to bring them success with his ability to protect the rim and stretch the floor with his shooting ability.
Next. Preseason SEC power rankings for 2023-24. dark
Kentucky has Reeves leading their backcourt with another impressive cast of young prospects ready to take the college basketball stage. They’re ranked just outside the Top 5 at No. 6 in the preseason conference power rankings. They should compete given their potential from a versatile standpoint and given the experience Coach Cal already has under his belt in the realm of adversity.