2021–22 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Wildcats, founding members of the Southeastern Conference, played their home games at Rupp Arena and were led by John Calipari in his 13th season as head coach. The Wildcats finished the season 26–8, 14–4 in SEC play to finish a tie for second place. As the No. 3 seed in the SEC tournament, they defeated Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals before losing to Tennessee in the semifinals. They received an at large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 2 seed in the East region. The Wildcats became just the 10th No. 2 seed to lose in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, losing to No. 15-seeded (and eventual regional runner-up) Saint Peter’s 85–79 in overtime. It also marked the first time Kentucky had suffered a First Round exit under Calipari, and allowed eventual tournament champion Kansas to take the all-time record for most wins in Division I men's college basketball history.

2021–22 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
s
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 16
APNo. 7
Record26–8 (14–4 SEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaRupp Arena
(Capacity: 20,545)
Seasons
2021–22 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
No. 14 Auburn153 .833286 .824
No. 16 Kentucky144 .778268 .765
No. 15 Tennessee144 .778278 .771
No. 8 Arkansas135 .722289 .757
LSU99 .5002212 .647
Alabama99 .5001914 .576
South Carolina99 .5001813 .581
Texas A&M99 .5002713 .675
Florida99 .5002014 .588
Mississippi State810 .4441816 .529
Vanderbilt711 .3891917 .528
Missouri513 .2781221 .364
Ole Miss414 .2221319 .406
Georgia117 .056626 .188
2022 SEC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

In a season disrupted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, the Wildcats finished the 2020–21 season a disappointing 9–16, 8–9 in SEC play to finish in eighth place. They lost in the second round of the SEC tournament to Mississippi State.

Offseason

Coaching changes

Departures

NamePositionYear at
Kentucky
Alma mater (year)Reason for departure
Tony BarbeeAssociate head coach7thUMass (2004)Head coach at Central Michigan[1]
Joel JustusAssistant Coach5thUNC Wilmington (2004)Assistant at Arizona State[2]

Additions to staff

NamePositionYear at
Kentucky
Alma mater (year)Previous position
Orlando AntiguaAssociate head coach1st (current stint)
6th (overall)
Pittsburgh (1995)Assistant at Illinois; previously a UK assistant from 2009–2014.[3]
Ron "Chin" ColemanAssistant Coach1stLamar (1997)Assistant at Illinois.[3]
Brad CalipariGraduate Assistant1stKentucky (B.A., 2019)
Detroit Mercy (M.A., 2021)
Player at Detroit Mercy; also played at Kentucky from 2017–2019. Son of UK head coach John Calipari.[4]
Riley WelchGraduate Assistant1stKentucky (2021)Player at Kentucky; also played at UC Irvine in 2018–19.[5]

Player departures

Note that all players in the 2020–21 season, regardless of their classification, had the option to return to the program. Due to COVID-19 impacts, the NCAA declared that the 2020–21 season would not count against the athletic eligibility of any student-athlete in any of the organization's winter sports, including basketball.[6] This led the NBA and its players union to agree that for the 2021 draft only, players who were seniors in 2020–21 had to declare their eligibility for the draft.[7]

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason left
Devin Askew2Guard6'3"198FreshmanSacramento, CATransferred to Texas[8]
Brandon Boston Jr.3Guard6'7"185FreshmanNorcross, GADeclared for the 2021 NBA draft[9]
Terrence Clarke5Guard6'7"194FreshmanBoston, MADeclared for the 2021 NBA draft, but died in a car accident prior to the draft.[10]
Riley Welch13Guard6'0"185SeniorLittleton, COGraduated and joined the uk coaching staff; walk-on
Cam'Ron Fletcher21Forward6'6"215FreshmanSt. Louis, MOTransferred to Florida State[11]
Isaiah Jackson23Forward6'10"206FreshmanPontiac, MIDeclared for the 2021 NBA draft[9]
Olivier Sarr30Center7'0"237SeniorBordeaux, FRAGraduated and declared for the 2021 NBA draft; undrafted

2021 recruiting class

On October 26, 2020, Bryce Hopkins committed to UK over offers from Louisville and Wisconsin. Hopkins was the first commitment in the 2021 recruiting class and the No. 9 ranked power forward in the 2021 class by 247Sports. He was a consensus four-star player by the four main recruiting services and was ranked No. 38 overall by 247Sports.

On October 31, 2020, Daimion Collins committed to UK over offers from Alabama and Oklahoma. Collins was the second commitment in the 2021 recruiting class and the No. 2 ranked power forward in the 2021 class by 247Sports. He was a consensus five-star player by the four main recruiting services and was ranked No. 10 overall by 247Sports.

On May 12, 2021, TyTy Washington committed to UK over offers from Arizona, Baylor, Kansas, LSU and Oregon. Washington was the third commitment in the 2021 recruiting class and the No. 1 ranked point guard in the 2021 class by 247Sports. He was a consensus five-star player by the four main recruiting services and was ranked No. 11 overall by 247Sports.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Bryce Hopkins
PF
Oak Park, ILFenwick (IL)6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)220 lb (100 kg)Oct 26, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    ESPN grade: 88
Daimion Collins
PF
Atlanta, TXAtlanta (TX)6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)210 lb (95 kg)Oct 31, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    ESPN grade: 92
TyTy Washington
PG
Phoenix, AZAZ Compass Prep (AZ)6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg)May 12, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    ESPN grade: 94
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 5th  247Sports: 6th  ESPN: 5th
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Kentucky 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  • "2021 Kentucky Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  • "Kentucky 2021 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved May 12, 2021.

2022 recruiting class

On November 10, 2021, four consensus five-star prospects signed with UK: Skyy Clark, Chris Livingston, Shaedon Sharpe, and Cason Wallace. Clark planned to enroll at UK in the spring 2022 semester, while the others planned to arrive in fall 2022.[12] On March 6, 2022 Clark announced that he would not be attending Kentucky. Kentucky released Clark from his letter of intent, freeing Clark to attend a new school.[13]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Chris Livingston
SF
Akron, OHOak Hill Academy (VA)6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)210 lb (95 kg)Nov 10, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    ESPN grade: 91
Shaedon Sharpe
SG
London, ONDream City Christian (AZ)6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)195 lb (88 kg)Nov 10, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    ESPN grade: 95
Cason Wallace
SG / PG
Dallas, TXRichardson (TX)6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)190 lb (86 kg)Nov 10, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    ESPN grade: 92
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 2nd  247Sports: 8th  ESPN: 1st
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

2023 recruiting class

On November 20, 2021, Reed Sheppard verbally committed to UK over multiple offers, with Louisville and Virginia among the most active in attempting to recruit him. The son of former UK basketball players Jeff Sheppard and the former Stacey Reed, he was the first commitment to the 2023 recruiting class. At the time of his commitment, he was the No. 3 ranked combo guard in the 2023 class by 247 Sports.[14]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
NameHometownHigh school / collegeHeightWeightCommit date
Reed Sheppard
CG
London, KYNorth Laurel (KY)6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)175 lb (79 kg)Nov 20, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    ESPN grade: 86
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 21st  247Sports: 17th  ESPN: 37th
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Incoming transfers

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious SchoolYears Eligible[a]Date Eligible
CJ Fredrick[15]1G6'3"190RS JuniorCincinnati, OHIowa3October 1, 2021
Sahvir Wheeler[16]2G5'9"180JuniorHouston, TXGeorgia3October 1, 2021
Kellan Grady[17]31G6'5"205Graduate StudentBoston, MADavidson1October 1, 2021
Oscar Tshiebwe[18]34F6'9"255JuniorLubumbashi, DR CongoWest Virginia3October 1, 2021

Roster

2021–22 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
F0Jacob Toppin6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)200 lb (91 kg)JrRhode IslandBrooklyn, NY
G1CJ Fredrick6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)190 lb (86 kg)RS JrIowaCincinnati, OH
G2Sahvir Wheeler5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)180 lb (82 kg)JrGeorgiaHouston, TX
G3TyTy Washington6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)197 lb (89 kg)FrAZ Compass PrepPhoenix, AZ
F4Daimion Collins6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)202 lb (92 kg)FrAtlantaAtlanta, TX
G10Davion Mintz6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)195 lb (88 kg)GSCreightonCharlotte, NC
G11Dontaie Allen6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)205 lb (93 kg)RS SoPendleton CountyFalmouth, KY
F12Keion Brooks Jr.6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)210 lb (95 kg)JrLa Lumiere SchoolFort Wayne, IN
F14Brennan Canada (W)6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)198 lb (90 kg)JrGeorge Rogers ClarkMount Sterling, KY
G/F20Zan Payne (W)6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)215 lb (98 kg)RS JrLexington CatholicLexington, KY
G21Shaedon Sharpe  6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)200 lb (91 kg)FrDream City ChristianLondon, ON
F23Bryce Hopkins6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)220 lb (100 kg)FrFenwickOak Park, IL
G25Kareem Watkins (W)5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)170 lb (77 kg)SoKingsway RegionalCamden, NJ
G31Kellan Grady6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg)GSDavidsonBoston, MA
F34Oscar Tshiebwe6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)255 lb (116 kg)JrWest VirginiaLubumbashi, DR Congo
F55Lance Ware6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)225 lb (102 kg)SoCamdenCamden, NJ
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: May 18, 2021

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank#Opponent#ResultRecordHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsSite (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 29, 2021*
7:00 p.m., SECN
No. 10 Kentucky WesleyanW 95–72 
 18   Tie  10   Tshiebwe  6   Tie Rupp Arena (17,133)
Lexington, KY
November 5, 2021*
7:00 p.m., SECN
No. 10 Miles CollegeW 80–71 
 15   Tie  12   Tshiebwe  6   Tie Rupp Arena (17,814)
Lexington, KY
Regular season
November 9, 2021*
9:30 p.m., ESPN
No. 10 vs. No. 9 Duke
Champions Classic
L 71–79 0–1
 17  Tshiebwe  20   Tshiebwe  10   Wheeler Madison Square Garden (18,132)
New York, NY
November 12, 2021*
7:00 p.m., SECN
No. 10 Robert Morris
Kentucky Classic
W 100–60 1–1
 19  Grady  20  Tshiebwe  11  Wheeler Rupp Arena (18,454)
Lexington, KY
November 16, 2021*
7:00 p.m., SECN
No. 13 Mount St. Mary's
Kentucky Classic
W 80–55 2–1
 24  Tshiebwe  16  Tshiebwe  8  Wheeler Rupp Arena (18,227)
Lexington, KY
November 19, 2021*
7:00 p.m., SECN
No. 13 Ohio
Kentucky Classic
W 77–59 3–1
 22  Brooks Jr.  11  Washington Jr.  5  Washington Jr. Rupp Arena (19,045)
Lexington, KY
November 22, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+
No. 10т AlbanyW 86–61 4–1
 20  Washington Jr.  14  Tshiebwe  7  Wheeler Rupp Arena (18,201)
Lexington, KY
November 26, 2021*
7:00 p.m., SECN
No. 10т North FloridaW 86–52 5–1
 14  Tie  16  Tshiebwe  14  Wheeler Rupp Arena (19,350)
Lexington, KY
November 29, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+
No. 9 Central MichiganW 85–57 6–1
 20  Tshiebwe  16  Tshiebwe  6  Wheeler Rupp Arena (18,080)
Lexington, KY
December 7, 2021*
7:00 p.m., SECN
No. 10 SouthernW 76–64 7–1
 23  Tshiebwe  11  Tshiebwe  6  Wheeler Rupp Arena (18,947)
Lexington, KY
December 11, 2021*
5:15 p.m., ESPN
No. 10 at Notre DameL 62–66 7–2
 25  Tshiebwe  7  Tie  5  Washington Jr. Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,283)
South Bend, IN
December 18, 2021*
5:15 p.m., CBS
No. 21 vs. No. 15 Ohio State
CBS Sports Classic
Canceled due to COVID-19 issues at Ohio StateT-Mobile Arena 
Paradise, NV
December 18, 2021*
5:30 p.m., CBS
No. 21 vs. North Carolina
CBS Sports Classic
W 98–69 8–2
 26  Wheeler  12  Tshiebwe  8  Wheeler T-Mobile Arena (12,117)
Paradise, NV
December 22, 2021*
6:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 20 Louisville
Rivalry
Postponed due to COVID-19 issues at LouisvilleRupp Arena 
Lexington, KY
December 22, 2021*
6:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 20 Western KentuckyW 95–60 9–2
 23  Grady  28  Tshiebwe  8  Wheeler Rupp Arena (20,221)
Lexington, KY
December 29, 2021
7:00 p.m., SECN
No. 18 MissouriW 83–56 10–2
(1–0)
 17  Brooks Jr.  20  Tshiebwe  9  Wheeler Rupp Arena (19,361)
Lexington, KY
December 31, 2021*
12:00 p.m., SECN
No. 18 High PointW 92–48 11–2
 23  Grady  8  Tie  9  Washington Jr. Rupp Arena (19,735)
Lexington, KY
January 4, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 16т at No. 21 LSUL 60–65 11–3
(1–1)
 16  Mintz  13  Tshiebwe  4  Washington Jr. Pete Maravich Assembly Center (11,808)
Baton Rouge, LA
January 8, 2022
6:00 p.m., SECN
No. 16т GeorgiaW 92–77 12–3
(2–1)
 29  Tshiebwe  17  Tshiebwe  17  Washington Jr. Rupp Arena (19,343)
Lexington, KY
January 11, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 18 at VanderbiltW 78–66 13–3
(3–1)
 30  Tshiebwe  12  Tshiebwe  4  Washington Jr. Memorial Gymnasium (8,343)
Nashville, TN
January 15, 2022
1:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 18 No. 22 Tennessee
Rivalry
W 107–79 14–3
(4–1)
 28  Washington Jr.  12  Tshiebwe  8  Wheeler Rupp Arena (20,278)
Lexington, KY
January 19, 2022
8:30 p.m., SECN
No. 12 at Texas A&MW 64–58 15–3
(5–1)
 12  Wheeler  14  Tshiebwe  4  Wheeler Reed Arena (14,036)
College Station, TX
January 22, 2022
1:00 p.m., CBS
No. 12 at No. 2 AuburnL 71–80 15–4
(5–2)
 17  Tie  14  Tshiebwe  4  Tie Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
January 25, 2022
9:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 12 Mississippi StateW 82–74 OT16–4
(6–2)
 21  Tshiebwe  22  Tshiebwe  6  Wheeler Rupp Arena (18,144)
Lexington, KY
January 29, 2022*
6:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 12 at No. 5 Kansas
Big 12/SEC Challenge
W 80–62 17–4
 27  Brooks Jr.  14  Tshiebwe  8  Wheeler Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
February 2, 2022
7:00 p.m., SECN
No. 5 VanderbiltW 77–70 18–4
(7–2)
 21  Mintz  17  Tshiebwe  9  Wheeler Rupp Arena (19,418)
Lexington, KY
February 5, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 5 at AlabamaW 66–55 19–4
(8–2)
 15  Washington Jr.  15  Tshiebwe  7  Wheeler Coleman Coliseum (12,477)
Tuscaloosa, AL
February 8, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 5 at South CarolinaW 86–76 20–4
(9–2)
 18  Tshiebwe  14  Tshiebwe  11  Wheeler Colonial Life Arena (12,009)
Columbia, SC
February 12, 2022
4:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 5 Florida
Rivalry
W 78–57 21–4
(10–2)
 27  Tshiebwe  19  Tshiebwe  6  Tie Rupp Arena (20,383)
Lexington, KY
February 15, 2022
9:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 4 at No. 16 Tennessee
Rivalry
L 63–76 21–5
(10–3)
 13  Tshiebwe  15  Tshiebwe  5  Wheeler Thompson–Boling Arena (21,768)
Knoxville, TN
February 19, 2022
1:00 p.m., CBS
No. 4 No. 25 AlabamaW 90–81 22–5
(11–3)
 25  Grady  14  Tshiebwe  3  Tie Rupp Arena (20,374)
Lexington, KY
February 23, 2022
9:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 6 LSUW 71–66 23–5
(12–3)
 17  Tshiebwe  16  Tshiebwe  3  Grady Rupp Arena (20,199)
Lexington, KY
February 26, 2022
2:00 p.m., CBS
No. 6 at No. 18 ArkansasL 73–75 23–6
(12–4)
 30  Tshiebwe  18  Tshiebwe  5  Wheeler Bud Walton Arena (19,200)
Fayetteville, AR
March 1, 2022
7:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 7 Ole MissW 83–72 24–6
(13–4)
 18  Tshiebwe  15  Tshiebwe  7  Wheeler Rupp Arena (20,322)
Lexington, KY
March 5, 2022
2:00 p.m., CBS
No. 7 at Florida
Rivalry
W 71–63 25–6
(14–4)
 27  Tshiebwe  15  Tshiebwe  5  Washington Jr. O'Connell Center (9,788)
Gainesville, FL
SEC Tournament
March 11, 2022
8:00 p.m., SECN
(3) No. 5 vs. (11) Vanderbilt
Quarterfinals
W 77–71 26–6
 25  Washington Jr.  14  Tshiebwe  11  Wheeler Amalie Arena (17,132)
Tampa, FL
March 12, 2022
3:00 p.m., ESPN
(3) No. 5 vs. (2) No. 9т Tennessee
Semifinals
L 62–69 26–7
 19  Brooks Jr.  11  Tshiebwe  4  Washington Jr. Amalie Arena 
Tampa, FL
NCAA tournament
March 17, 2022*
7:10 pm, CBS
(2 E) No. 7 vs. (15 E) Saint Peter’s
First Round
L 79–85 OT26–8
 30  Tshiebwe  16  Tshiebwe  6  Wheeler Gainbridge Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP101310910212018161812125546757Not released
Coaches1111*13т101221181713171213743365616т

*No poll released

See also

References