Kentucky Wildcats Basketball

Reigning National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe will reportedly make his season debut for Kentucky against Michigan State on Tuesday.

Per Jeff Goodman of Stadium, it has not been determined whether Tshiebwe will start or come off the bench as he continues to recover from a procedure on his right knee.

Wildcats coach John Calipari told reporters Monday that Tshiebwe would play if he made it through practice without swelling:

"He's supposed to practice today so we'll have a better idea. He's been doing the conditioning stuff, he just hasn't been on that court and that's totally different. My guess will be he plays three or four minutes at a stretch if he plays.

"He's going to have to get through [practice] and make sure there's no swelling. From what I'm hearing he doesn't have the lift yet but knowing him, he wants to play but I can't tell you right now."

It would seem Tshiebwe made it through Monday's session well enough to get some playing time, though it's unlikely he's on the floor for 30-plus minutes. No. 4 Kentucky has gotten off to a 2-0 start to the 2022-23 campaign with wins over Howard and Duquesne by a combined 57 points.

Kentucky plays Michigan State on Tuesday as part of the State Farm Champions Classic in Indianapolis. The unranked Spartans are 1-1 to start the season and lost by one point to second-ranked Gonzaga.

Tshiebwe averaged 17.4 points and 15.1 rebounds last season on his way to sweeping National Player of the Year awards and becoming a consensus first-team All-America selection. His presence will help fortify the middle of Kentucky's defense, which has been anchored by senior Jacob Toppin.

An absolutely loaded Kentucky men's basketball class of 2023 got even better Monday when DJ Wagner, a 5-star guard who plays for Camden (New Jersey) High School, chose to play for John Calipari's Wildcats.

Wagner—rated as the top prospect in the Class of 2023 in the 247Sports' composite rankings—announced his commitment to ESPN's Paul Biancardi.

The outlet of the choice appeared to be a formality after Travis Branham of 247Sports revealed news of Wagner's impending announcement.

Wagner joins a class of 2023 that includes fellow 5-star prospects in center Aaron Bradshaw, small forward Justin Edwards and point guard Robert Dillingham, all of whom are ranked in the top nine of 247Sports' prospect rankings. Bradshaw is notably Wagner's teammate at Camden.

The class also includes 4-star guard Reed Sheppard, ranked 29th overall.

Adam Finklestein, 247Sports' director of scouting, provided a report for the 6'3" combo guard in July that read in part:

"Wagner is a proven and versatile scorer, with numerous weapons at his disposal. He’s also an elite competitor who plays hard, has a way of raising the level of those around him, and doesn’t get enough credit for bringing a similar mindset to the defensive end of the floor. He plays in constant attack mode, accelerates right at his defender while mixing in some shake and shiftiness, scores around the rim with both hands, and is a legitimate threat to create his own shot at all three-levels."

Wagner is the son of former NBA guard Dajuan Wagner, who the Cleveland Cavaliers selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft out of Memphis. Wagner averaged 9.4 points over four NBA seasons for the Cavs and Los Angeles Clippers.

He is also the grandson of Milt Wagner, who played college ball at Louisville before going pro.

In the end, Wagner's choice to go to Kentucky adds to the school's legacy of stockpiling elite high school talents on a yearly basis. Ultimately, the addition of Wagner gives the 2023-24 Kentucky team a chance to be up there with some of the greatest squads in school history.

Kentucky big man Oscar Tshiebwe said he "absolutely" plans to be ready for the team's first game against Howard on Nov. 7, according to Gary B. Graves of the Associated Press.

The reigning AP Player of the Year underwent a "minor" procedure on his knee this month, as head coach John Calipari explained on Twitter. Despite the issue, Tshiebwe doesn't expect to miss any regular-season action.

"To be honest, I don't think I will miss games other than exhibition games because it's not really necessary that I get this done," he said.

Tshiebwe is coming off a breakout season for the Wildcats after transferring from West Virginia.

The 6'9" forward averaged 17.4 points, 15.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks per game in 2021-22, winning the Naismith Award as the top player in college basketball. He helped Kentucky earn a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament, although the squad was shockingly upset in the first round by Saint Peter's.

Despite interest from the NBA, Tshiebwe returned to school and enters as a unanimous preseason All-American with higher expectations going into 2022-23.

"He's a better passer. He's a better dribbler. He has a better feel. He talks," Calipari said, per the AP's John Marshall. "Offensively he knows the plays better. And he's authentic."

There will be a lot of eyes on Tshiebwe this season with Kentucky entering No. 4 in the preseason AP poll.

The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team hosted its annual Blue-White game at Appalachian Wireless Arena in Pikeville, Kentucky, on Saturday, and the White team walked away with a 70-67 victory.

The game was played in Pikeville instead of at Rupp Arena so proceeds could be donated to flood relief efforts in Eastern Kentucky, a part of the state that had been devastated by floods over the summer.

In addition, Saturday's contest was limited to just 30 minutes as Kentucky was down a number of players because of minor injuries, including Oscar Tshiebwe, Sahvir Wheeler and Lance Ware.

Kentucky head coach John Calipari split his roster into two teams for Saturday's game. The White team roster included Jacob Toppin, CJ Frederick, Daimon Collins, Cason Wallace and Chris Livingston.

The Blue teams roster included Adou Thiero, Antonio Reeves, Brennan Canada, Walker Horn, Ugonna Onyenso and Kareem Watkins.

Reeves, who transferred to Kentucky in April after three seasons at Illinois State, was the star of the show, finishing with 27 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal on 8-of-19 shooting from the floor and 5-of-12 shooting from deep.

Reeves was lauded by Kentucky fans on Twitter for his scoring ability following Saturday's game:

Before committing to Kentucky, Reeves had Nebraska, Xavier, Oregon and DePaul in his final five. The 6'5", 205-pound guard was one of the best scorers available in the transfer portal.

During the 2021-22 season, his final at Illinois State, Reeves averaged 20.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals in 33 games while shooting 46.9 percent from the floor and 39 percent from deep.

If Reeves can replicate that success in his first season with the Wildcats, Calipari's squad could make a run in the NCAA tournament.

Kentucky men's basketball coach John Calipari announced Wednesday the Wildcats have "agreed in principle" to restart an annual rivalry series against Indiana beginning with the 2025-26 season.

Calipari said further information will be provided at a later date as the deal with the Hoosiers is "at the administrative level now, so all the details will be worked out."

Kentucky and Indiana faced off in men's basketball for the first time in December 1924, a 34-23 Hoosiers victory. The schools met every season from 1969 through 2011.

The Wildcats and Hoosiers have met twice since that point, both times in the NCAA tournament. UK won a 2012 meeting in the Sweet 16 and IU came out on top in the 2016 second round.

Kentucky holds a 35-23 advantage in the all-time series.

Indiana coach Mike Woodson said in May he wanted to resume the series, even if it meant playing a yearly neutral-site contest rather than a standard home-and-home structure.

"It might not be Bloomington, Lexington, I don't know," Woodson said. "But however way we can get it done, I'll take it. So we've just got to figure that part of it out."

He added it would be special to play the games on the respective campuses, though.

"I'm going to stay on [Calipari's] heels about getting the Kentucky-Indiana series back on the table," Woodson said. "Because I just think over the years, man, that was a hell of a game, going to Lexington and them coming down to Bloomington."

Calipari didn't address whether home games were under consideration as part of his comments Wednesday at SEC media day.

Both Kentucky and Indiana head into the 2022-23 season inside the Top 15 of the Associated Press poll, with UK at No. 4 and IU at No. 13.

The storied programs will each open the new campaign Nov. 7, when the Wildcats host Howard at Rupp Arena and the Hoosiers welcome Morehead State to Assembly Hall.

Aaron Bradshaw, one of the top centers in the 2023 recruiting class, announced Friday he's decided to play college basketball at Kentucky, per ESPN's Jeff Borzello.

Bradshaw, a 5-star recruit, is rated as the No. 4 overall prospect and the best center among the 2023 group in 247Sports' rankings. The Camden High School standout is also ranked as the second-best player from New Jersey.

The 7'0'', 210-pound rising star has showcased terrific athleticism that has allowed him to dominate the high school ranks at both ends of the floor, and he's also displayed a tireless work ethic.

Bradshaw will need to continue bulking up, especially if the NBA is in his future, but he has all the tools to make an immediate impact at the college level.

In May 2021, he told Rivals' Jamie Shaw he's patterned his game after some of the most dominant, versatile big men of recent decades.

"I play defense and bring a lot of enthusiasm to the floor. I try to bring a lot of energy," Bradshaw said. "I hear a lot of Kevin Garnett, Anthony Davis, big guys who are high-motor players. I grew up a fan of Garnett, Davis and Hakeem Olajuwon. They get after it, they're scrappy and bring a lot of energy to the team."

He possesses the size and raw skill set to play a similar style to those current and former superstars, but his development has a long way to go before he can reach that type of level.

The talented center will look to continue that growth process with the Wildcats. It's too early to know the exact role he'll play at the outset for John Calipari and Co., but he should be one of the first players off the bench in a high-energy role at minimum.

Bradshaw's arrival represents a major boost to the 2023 UK class, and he's a definite name to watch in the coming years.

Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops doesn't believe the program is the little brother to Wildcats men's basketball anymore.

Stoops pushed back against the idea expressed by men's basketball coach John Calipari that Kentucky is a "basketball school":

In an interview with The Athletic's Kyle Tucker, Calipari campaigned for facility upgrades and argued his case by pointing toward how important basketball is toward UK's identity:

And the reason is, this is a basketball school. It’s always been that. Alabama is a football school. So is Georgia. I mean, they are. No disrespect to our football team. I hope they win 10 games and go to bowls. At the end of the day, that makes my job easier and it makes the job of all of us easier. But this is a basketball school. And so we need to keep moving in that direction and keep doing what we’re doing.

Stoops' rejoinder is understandable and reflects the relative success he has helped deliver on the gridiron. Kentucky is coming off its second 10-win season under his nine-year watch, and its streak of four straight years with a bowl victory is the longest in school history.

When laying out its budget for the 2020-21 fiscal year, the university also reported higher revenues for football ($40 million) than men's basketball ($29.6 million). Football had a higher percentage of expenses as well.

Football is big business for the University of Kentucky.

Having said that, Calipari's position still reflects the reality of the situation to a large degree, and Stoops' recent contract extension is a perfect illustration.

Stoops signed a new deal last December, one that will pay him $6.75 million starting with the 2022 season. The 55-year-old is basically bulletproof in Lexington right now despite delivering zero national titles and zero New Year's Six bowl bids.

Calipari, by contrast, has guided Kentucky to one national title and four Final Four appearances. His 365 wins are second only to Adolph Rupp in school history.

Still, the immediate reactions to the Wildcats' first-round upset to St. Peter's in the first round of the 2022 NCAA tournament is a testament to how past achievements—no matter how significant—only counts for so much in the eyes of fans.

The gulf between Kentucky football and men's basketball is certainly closing, but Stoops might want to consider how perceiving the Wildcats to be a "football school" means more scrutiny and higher expectations.

Life in the shadow of Kentucky basketball isn't all that bad when you think about it.

Consider John Calipari a Damian Lillard fan.

The Kentucky men's basketball coach praised the message the Portland Trail Blazers superstar passed along during his Formula Zero basketball camp this past week.

Lillard's message was that he wants to help young players develop mental toughness and work ethic, especially in an age where they are praised their entire lives, recruited as top and gifted prospects and have large social media followings but may not be ready for the potential adversity that awaits them at the college or professional level.

"It puts them in a position to where those things, it lets them down when they get to a professional environment and their talent can't get them though," he said at the camp. "You got to be stable and strong mentally. You got to be sturdy. You got to have something that you can stand on because it gets tough. ... I want to help these kids, they got all these followers on Instagram, but I wanna help them have the stuff that is not just a talent."

At the NBA level, every player has massive talent. Other factors often differentiate the best players from their peers, which is the message Lillard is trying to send to young players and one that Calipari endorses.

Two of the top programs in men's college basketball will face off in a home-and-home series across the upcoming two seasons.

The Kentucky Wildcats will travel to the Gonzaga Bulldogs for a Nov. 20 showdown, and the Bulldogs will complete the return trip to face the Wildcats on the road in 2023, as Kyle Tucker and Dana O'Neil of The Athletic relayed Tuesday.

Tucker and O'Neil noted Gonzaga head coach Mark Few called in to a telethon that Wildcats head coach John Calipari was participating in to raise money for those impacted by flooding in Kentucky and revealed the news.

While Kentucky and Gonzaga have played just once—a Wildcats win in 2002—the two coaches are friends and faced each other four times when Calipari was with Memphis.

"For us, Drew [Timme], Julian [Strawther], Rasir [Bolton], they all made the decision to come back," Few said. "These are the kinds of games they want to play in, so why not? It's fun for them. It's great for the sport. There are a thousand positives, and no negatives."

Marquee nonconference games are nothing new for Gonzaga, which attempts to build a strong resume before its slate is watered down by West Coast Conference play.

The Bulldogs next season will also play Michigan State, Texas, Baylor and Alabama and will participate in the PK85 tournament in a bracket that features Duke, Florida, Purdue and West Virginia, per Tucker and O'Neil.

The Wildcats will face Michigan State, Michigan, UCLA, Louisville and Kansas too.

The November showdown figures to be one of the best in college basketball during the upcoming season.

After all, Gonzaga checked in at No. 2 and Kentucky No. 4 in ESPN's Jeff Borzello's Top 25 rankings July 26. There will be no shortage of star power with Timme, Strawther and Bolton on the Bulldogs side and Oscar Tshiebwe leading the way for the Wildcats.

Kentucky will be looking to bounce back from its shocking first-round NCAA tournament loss to Saint Peter's, and a Top Five win early in the season would be a great way to do just that.

Gonzaga also lost earlier than expected in the tournament. The No. 1 overall seed reached the Sweet 16 but fell to Arkansas.