# 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.

## 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

| Name | Position | Year at Kentucky | Alma mater (year) | Reason for departure |
| Tony Barbee | Associate head coach | 7th | UMass (2004) | Head coach at Central Michigan |
| Joel Justus | Assistant Coach | 5th | UNC Wilmington (2004) | Assistant at Arizona State |

#### Additions to staff

| Name | Position | Year at Kentucky | Alma mater (year) | Previous position |
| Orlando Antigua | Associate head coach | 1st (current stint) 6th (overall) | Pittsburgh (1995) | Assistant at Illinois; previously a UK assistant from 2009 to 2014. |
| Ron "Chin" Coleman | Assistant Coach | 1st | Lamar (1997) | Assistant at Illinois. |
| Brad Calipari | Graduate Assistant | 1st | Kentucky (B.A., 2019) Detroit Mercy (M.A., 2021) | Player at Detroit Mercy; also played at Kentucky from 2017 to 2019. Son of UK head coach John Calipari. |
| Riley Welch | Graduate Assistant | 1st | Kentucky (2021) | Player at Kentucky; also played at UC Irvine in 2018–19. |

### 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. 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.
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason left |
| Devin Askew | 2 | Guard | 6'3" | 198 | Freshman | Sacramento, CA | Transferred to Texas |
| Brandon Boston Jr. | 3 | Guard | 6'7" | 185 | Freshman | Norcross, GA | Declared for the 2021 NBA draft |
| Terrence Clarke | 5 | Guard | 6'7" | 194 | Freshman | Boston, MA | Declared for the 2021 NBA draft, but died in a car accident prior to the draft. |
| Riley Welch | 13 | Guard | 6'0" | 185 | Senior | Littleton, CO | Graduated and joined the uk coaching staff; walk-on |
| Cam'Ron Fletcher | 21 | Forward | 6'6" | 215 | Freshman | St. Louis, MO | Transferred to Florida State |
| Isaiah Jackson | 23 | Forward | 6'10" | 206 | Freshman | Pontiac, MI | Declared for the 2021 NBA draft |
| Olivier Sarr | 30 | Center | 7'0" | 237 | Senior | Bordeaux, FRA | Graduated 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.
College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Bryce Hopkins PF | Oak Park, IL | Fenwick (IL) | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Oct 26, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 88 ||||||
| Daimion Collins PF | Atlanta, TX | Atlanta (TX) | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Oct 31, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 92 ||||||
| TyTy Washington PG | Phoenix, AZ | AZ Compass Prep (AZ) | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | May 12, 2021 |
| Star ratings: 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. 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.
College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Chris Livingston SF | Akron, OH | Oak Hill Academy (VA) | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Nov 10, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 91 ||||||
| Shaedon Sharpe SG | London, ON | Dream City Christian (AZ) | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Nov 10, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 95 ||||||
| Cason Wallace SG / PG | Dallas, TX | Richardson (TX) | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Nov 10, 2021 |
| Star ratings: 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: "Kentucky 2022 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 22, 2021. "2022 Kentucky Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 22, 2021. "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 22, 2021. "Kentucky 2022 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved December 22, 2021. ||||||

### 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.
College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Reed Sheppard CG | London, KY | North Laurel (KY) | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Nov 20, 2021 |
| Star ratings: 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: "Kentucky 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021. "2023 Kentucky Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021. "Kentucky 2023 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021. ||||||

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School | Years Eligible | Date Eligible |
| CJ Fredrick | 1 | G | 6'3" | 190 | RS Junior | Cincinnati, OH | Iowa | 3 | October 1, 2021 |
| Sahvir Wheeler | 2 | G | 5'9" | 180 | Junior | Houston, TX | Georgia | 3 | October 1, 2021 |
| Kellan Grady | 31 | G | 6'5" | 205 | Graduate Student | Boston, MA | Davidson | 1 | October 1, 2021 |
| Oscar Tshiebwe | 34 | F | 6'9" | 255 | Junior | Lubumbashi, DR Congo | West Virginia | 3 | October 1, 2021 |
* ↑ Due to a special NCAA ruling, the 2020–21 season does not count against the eligibility of players in all NCAA winter sports, including basketball.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 29, 2021* 7:00 p.m., SECN | No. 10 | Kentucky Wesleyan | W 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 College | W 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 | Albany | W 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 Florida | W 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 Michigan | W 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 | Southern | W 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 Dame | L 62–66 | 7–2 | 25 – Tshiebwe | 7 – Tie | 5 – Washington Jr. | Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,283) South Bend, IN |
| 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 | Western Kentucky | W 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 | Missouri | W 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 Point | W 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 LSU | L 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 | Georgia | W 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 Vanderbilt | W 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&M | W 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 Auburn | L 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 State | W 82–74 $^{OT}$ | 16–4 (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 | Vanderbilt | W 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 Alabama | W 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 Carolina | W 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 Alabama | W 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 | LSU | W 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 Arkansas | L 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 Miss | W 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 $^{OT}$ | 26–8 | 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 | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | 10 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 7 | Not released |
| Coaches | 11 | 11* | 13т | 10 | 12 | 21 | 18 | 17 | 13 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 16т |
*No poll released