# 2020–21 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games in Lexington, Kentucky, for the 45th consecutive season at Rupp Arena, with a capacity of 20,545. The Wildcats were led by John Calipari in his 12th season as head coach and play in the Southeastern Conference.
The Wildcats season was marred by inconsistent stretches. The Wildcats got off to an ugly 1–6 start (the worst since 1911) and never recovered. They finished the season with a 9–16 overall record and 8–9 in conference for 8th place. It was Kentucky's first losing season since 1988–89 and its worst winning percentage since the 1926–27 season. Their season came to an end when they lost to Mississippi State 74–73, ending their year also not participating in the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2012–13 season.
The season also marked the worst season that John Calipari had coached since 1988–89, when he was in his first season as head coach of Massachusetts.

## Previous season

The Wildcats finished the season 25–6, 15–3 in SEC play to win the SEC regular season championship. They were set to be the No. 1 seed in the SEC tournament with a bye to the quarterfinals. However, the SEC Tournament was canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Kentucky was announced as the league's champion following the cancellation of the tournament and, therefore, received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. However, shortly thereafter, the NCAA Tournament was also canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

## Offseason
### Coaching changes
#### Departures

| Name | Position | Year at Kentucky | Alma mater (year) | Reason for departure |
| Kenny Payne | Associate head coach | 11th | Louisville (1989) | Hired as assistant by the New York Knicks |

#### Additions to staff

| Name | Position | Year at Kentucky | Alma mater (year) | Previous Team |
| Bruiser Flint | Assistant coach | 1st | Saint Joseph's (1987) | Indiana |
| Jai Lucas | Assistant coach/Recruiting Coordinator | 1st | Texas (2011) | Texas |

### Player departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason left |
| Ashton Hagans | 0 | Guard | 6'3" | 198 | Sophomore | Covington, Georgia | Declared for the 2020 NBA draft |
| Tyrese Maxey | 3 | Guard | 6'3" | 198 | Freshman | Garland, Texas | Declared for the 2020 NBA draft; selected 21st overall by the Philadelphia 76ers |
| Immanuel Quickley | 5 | Guard | 6'3" | 188 | Sophomore | Havre de Grace, Maryland | Declared for the 2020 NBA draft; selected 25th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Kahlil Whitney | 2 | Guard | 6'6" | 190 | Freshman | Roselle, New Jersey | Left team at midseason and later declared for the 2020 NBA draft |
| Johnny Juzang | 10 | Guard | 6'7" | 214 | Freshman | Los Angeles, California | Transferred to UCLA |
| Nate Sestina | 1 | Forward | 6'9" | 234 | Graduate Student | Emporium, Pennsylvania | Completed athletic eligibility; graduated from Bucknell in 2019 |
| E. J. Montgomery | 23 | Forward | 6'10" | 228 | Sophomore | Marietta, Georgia | Declared for the 2020 NBA draft |
| Nick Richards | 4 | Forward | 6'11" | 247 | Junior | Kingston, Jamaica | Declared for the 2020 NBA draft; selected 42nd overall by the New Orleans Pelicans |

### 2020 recruiting class

On July 27, 2019, Brandon Boston Jr. committed to play basketball for the University of Kentucky over offers from Florida and Duke. Boston was the first commitment to the 2020 recruiting class, and the #2 ranked shooting guard in the 2020 class by 247 sports.
Cam'Ron Fletcher, from St. Louis, Missouri, was the second commitment in the Kentucky 2020 recruiting class. He committed to Kentucky on August 4, 2019, and chose Kentucky over Michigan State. He is a consensus four-star player by the four main recruiting services and is ranked #36 overall by 24/7 Sports.
Power forward Lance Ware, from Camden, New Jersey, was the third commitment in the Kentucky 2020 recruiting class. He committed to Kentucky on September 12, 2019, and chose Kentucky over Ohio State. He is a consensus four-star player by the four main recruiting services and is ranked #32 overall by Rivals.
Two days later, on September 14, 2019, SF Terrence Clarke from Brewster Academy pledged to Kentucky. Clarke is one of the most highly regarded prospects in the 2020 class, with most services ranking him among the top five players overall.
College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Brandon Boston Jr. SG | Norcross, GA | Sierra Canyon (CA) | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Jul 27, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 96 ||||||
| Cam'Ron Fletcher SF | St. Louis, MO | Vashon (MO) | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Aug 4, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 ||||||
| Lance Ware PF | Camden, NJ | Camden (NJ) | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Sep 12, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 87 ||||||
| Terrence Clarke SG | Boston, MA | Brewster Academy (NH) | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Sep 14, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 95 ||||||
| Devin Askew PG | Sacramento, CA | Mater Dei (CA) | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Oct 17, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 91 ||||||
| Isaiah Jackson PF | Pontiac, MI | Waterford Mott (MI) | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Nov 16, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 89 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 1st 247Sports: 1st 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 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||

### Incoming transfers
#### Preseason

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Jacob Toppin | 0 | F | 6'9" | 194 | Sophomore | Brooklyn, NY | Rhode Island |
| Davion Mintz | 10 | G | 6'3" | 196 | Graduate Student | Charlotte, NC | Creighton |
| Olivier Sarr | 30 | C | 7'0" | 237 | Senior | Toulouse, France | Wake Forest |

#### In-season

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School | Years Eligible | Date Eligible |
| Oscar Tshiebwe | 34 | C | 6'9" | 260 | Sophomore | 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 |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 25, 2020* 6:00 p.m., SECN | No. 10 | Morehead State | W 81–45 | 1–0 | 15 – Boston Jr. | 7 – Boston Jr. | 4 – Tied | Rupp Arena (3,075) Lexington, KY |
| November 29, 2020* 1:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 10 | Richmond | L 64–76 | 1–1 | 20 – Boston Jr. | 11 – Sarr | 2 – Tied | Rupp Arena (3,075) Lexington, KY |
| December 1, 2020* 9:30 p.m., ESPN | No. 20 | vs. No. 7 Kansas Champions Classic | L 62–65 | 1–2 | 12 – Boston Jr. | 12 – Jackson | 2 – Tied | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (0) Indianapolis, IN |
| December 6, 2020* 5:00 p.m., ESPN | No. 20 | vs. Georgia Tech | L 62–79 | 1–3 | 22 – Clarke | 12 – Jackson | 6 – Mintz | State Farm Arena (0) Atlanta, GA |
| December 12, 2020* 12:00 p.m., CBS | | Notre Dame | L 63–64 | 1–4 | 22 – Sarr | 7 – Sarr | 4 – Mintz | Rupp Arena (3,075) Lexington, KY |
| December 19, 2020* 2:00 p.m., CBS | | vs. No. 22 North Carolina CBS Sports Classic | L 63–75 | 1–5 | 17 – Mintz | 8 – Mintz | 3 – Askew | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (0) Cleveland, OH |
| December 26, 2020* 1:00 p.m., ESPN | | at Louisville Battle for the Bluegrass | L 59–62 | 1–6 | 19 – Mintz | 7 – Tied | 3 – Askew | KFC Yum! Center (3,281) Louisville, KY |
| SEC regular season |||||||||
| December 29, 2020 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | South Carolina | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Postponed due to COVID-19 issues | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY |
| January 2, 2021 6:00 p.m., SECN | | at Mississippi State | W 78–73 $^{2OT}$ | 2–6 (1–0) | 23 – Allen | 12 – Ware | 6 – Askew | Humphrey Coliseum (1,000) Starkville, MS |
| January 5, 2021 7:00 p.m., SECN | | Vanderbilt | W 77–74 | 3–6 (2–0) | 24 – Sarr | 7 – Sarr | 3 – Askew | Rupp Arena (3,075) Lexington, KY |
| January 9, 2021 5:00 p.m., ESPN | | at Florida | W 76–58 | 4–6 (3–0) | 13 – Tied | 6 – Tied | 4 – Brooks | O'Connell Center (2,324) Gainesville, FL |
| January 12, 2021 9:00 p.m., ESPN | | Alabama | L 65–85 | 4–7 (3–1) | 14 – Jackson | 6 – Tied | 2 – Tied | Rupp Arena (3,075) Lexington, KY |
| January 16, 2021 2:00 p.m., ESPN | | at Auburn | L 59–66 | 4–8 (3–2) | 11 – Mintz | 6 – Tied | 3 – Askew | Auburn Arena (1,824) Auburn, AL |
| January 20, 2021 7:00 p.m., SECN | | at Georgia | L 62–63 | 4–9 (3–3) | 18 – Boston Jr. | 13 – Sarr | 4 – Askew | Stegeman Coliseum (1,638) Athens, GA |
| January 23, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN | | LSU | W 82–69 | 5–9 (4–3) | 18 – Boston Jr. | 15 – Jackson | 4 – Askew | Rupp Arena (3,075) Lexington, KY |
| January 26, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN | | at No. 9 Alabama | L 59–70 | 5–10 (4–4) | 12 – Tied | 5 – Tied | 4 – Mintz | Coleman Coliseum (2,055) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| January 30, 2021* 8:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 5 Texas Big 12/SEC Challenge | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY |
| February 3, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at No. 18 Missouri Rescheduled from Feb. 2 due to COVID-19 issues | L 70–75 | 5–11 (4–5) | 18 – Mintz | 10 – Tied | 4 – Askew | Mizzou Arena (3,033) Columbia, MO |
| February 6, 2021 8:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 11 Tennessee | L 71–82 | 5–12 (4–6) | 23 – Brooks Jr. | 11 – Brooks Jr. | 4 – Askew | Rupp Arena (3,075) Lexington, KY |
| February 9, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN | | Arkansas | L 80–81 | 5–13 (4–7) | 17 – Boston Jr. | 10 – Sarr | 6 – Askew | Rupp Arena (3,075) Lexington, KY |
| February 13, 2021 1:00 p.m., CBS | | Auburn | W 82–80 | 6–13 (5–7) | 18 – Jackson | 11 – Jackson | 4 – Tied | Rupp Arena (3,075) Lexington, KY |
| February 17, 2021 7:00 p.m., SECN | | at Vanderbilt | W 82–78 | 7–13 (6–7) | 18 – Mintz | 9 – Tied | 5 – Brooks Jr. | Memorial Gymnasium (164) Nashville, TN |
| February 20, 2021 1:00 p.m., CBS | | at No. 19 Tennessee | W 70–55 | 8–13 (7–7) | 16 – Jackson | 14 – Brooks Jr. | 4 – Askew | Thompson-Boling Arena (4,191) Knoxville, TN |
| February 23, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2 | | Texas A&M | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Rupp Arena Lexington, KY |
| February 27, 2021 4:00 p.m., CBS | | Florida | L 67–71 | 8–14 (7–8) | 21 – Mintz | 5 – Jackson | 3 – Askew | Rupp Arena (3,075) Lexington, KY |
| March 2, 2021 9:00 p.m., ESPN | | at Ole Miss | L 62–70 | 8–15 (7–9) | 16 – Brooks Jr. | 8 – Brooks Jr. | 8 – Mintz | The Pavilion at Ole Miss (895) Oxford, MS |
| March 6, 2021 12:00 p.m., ESPN | | South Carolina Makeup from Dec. 29 postponement | W 92–64 | 9–15 (8–9) | 21 – Boston Jr. | 10 – Jackson | 7 – Mintz | Rupp Arena (3,075) Lexington, KY |
| SEC Tournament |||||||||
| March 11, 2021 12:00 p.m., SECN | (8) | vs. (9) Mississippi State Second round | L 73–74 | 9–16 | 23 – Allen | 5 – Tied | 8 – Mintz | Bridgestone Arena (1,733) Nashville, TN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

On January 18, 2021, Duke fell out of the AP Top 25 ranking for the first time since February 8, 2016. This broke a 59-year streak and marked the first time since December 25, 1961 that the powerhouse trio of Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina were all out of the Top 25 ranking.
Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | 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 | Final |
| AP | 10 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |
| Coaches | 9 | 9^ | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.