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Ranking Kentucky Basketball's SEC Games by Difficulty

On3 imageby:Tyler Thompson•06/27/23•

MrsTylerKSR

On Monday, Kentucky’s SEC home and away opponents were revealed for the 2023-24 season. In addition to the Cats’ permanent home-and-away opponents Florida, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt, Kentucky will play Arkansas and Mississippi State twice. The Cats’ home-only opponents are Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Missouri, while the road-only foes are Auburn, LSU, South Carolina, and Texas A&M. 

The schedule, including dates and times for the SEC games, likely won’t be finalized for a while. That’s not stopping us from overanalyzing it. Yesterday, I ranked Kentucky’s home and away conference games by difficulty.

2023-24 SEC Home Games2023-24 SEC Away Games
ArkansasArkansas
FloridaFlorida
Mississippi StateMississippi State
TennesseeTennessee
VanderbiltVanderbilt
AlabamaAuburn
GeorgiaLSU
Ole MissSouth Carolina
MissouriTexas A&M

1. at Tennessee (Thompson-Boling Arena)

Gone are Olivier Nkamhoua (10.8 PPG), Tyreke Key (8.2 PPG), Julian Phillips (8.3 PPG), and Uros Plasvic (4.9 PPG), but the Vols return Santiago Vescovi, Josiah-Jordan James, and Zakai Zeigler, who is coming off a torn ACL. They also add three transfers, Jordan Gainey (USC Upstate), Chris Ledlum (Harvard), and Dalton Knecht (Northern Colorado). Ledlum, who led Harvard in scoring (18.8 PPG) and rebounding (8.5 RPG) is expected to play a big role, as is Knecht, who averaged 20.2 PPG at Northern Colorado.

Kentucky swept Tennessee last season, but we all know Rick Barnes’ success against Calipari and a very young Kentucky team could easily struggle on the road in Knoxville.

2. at Arkansas (Bud Walton Arena)

The Razorbacks lost three players to the NBA Draft (Anthony Black, Nick Smith Jr., Jordan Walsh) and a fourth (Ricky Council IV) signed a two-way deal with the 76ers. Five-star incoming freshman Ron Holland also withdrew his pledge and signed with the G-League. That said, Arkansas returns four of its top eight scorers from last season, including All-SEC Defensive guard Davonte Davis and talented forward Trevon Brazile, who tore his ACL nine games into the season.

Eric Musselman did as Eric Musselman does and loaded up on transfers, bringing in Khalif Battle (17.9 PPG at Temple), Tramon Mark (10.1 PPG at Houston), Keyon Menifield (10.0 PPG at Washington), Jeremiah Davenport (9.1 PPG at Cincinnati), and El Ellis (17.7 PPG at Louisville). Top 50 recruits Baye Fall and Layden Blocker also join the fold. Those new faces should complement core returners, making for a tough draw, especially in Fayetteville. Thankfully, Antonio Reeves proved last season he’s capable of putting the team on his back, even in one of the most hostile environments in the SEC.

3. at Texas A&M (Reed Arena)

Kentucky has won four straight vs. Texas A&M, including two in Reed Arena, but Buzz Williams’ squad returns four starters and eight of the top nine scorers from last year’s team that was red-hot in the second half of the season before losing to Penn State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Jace Carter (16.6 PPG at UIC) and Eli Lawrence (12.2 PPG at Middle Tennessee) transferred in, giving a veteran roster even more experience.

If this game was at Rupp, it would be lower on this list, but weird things happen in College Station and Buzz Williams will have Reed Arena rocking in hopes of getting his first win vs. Kentucky.

Photo by Dr. Michael Huang | Kentucky Sports Radio

4. vs. Tennessee (Rupp Arena)

As mentioned, Tennessee is good and Rick Barnes has won three times at Rupp during his tenure as the Volunteers’ head coach.

5. vs. Arkansas (Rupp Arena)

Eric Musselman is 2-0 vs. Kentucky at Rupp Arena, a mark few of his peers can match. The Razorbacks beat the Cats by 15 in Lexington last season and, as I outlined earlier, have a veteran roster that includes several players that have only won in Rupp, not lost. Like the Tennessee game, I hope this one’s on a Saturday so we can get the full Rupp experience.

6. at Mississippi State (Humphrey Coliseum)

Kentucky drawing Mississippi State twice this season is a bit of a surprise, and it will present a challenge. The Bulldogs return their top five scorers, Tolu Smith (15.7 PPG), Shakeel Moore (9.8 PPG), D.J. Jeffries, Dashawn Davis, and Cameron Matthews. Chris Jans also added Andrew Taylor (20.2 PPG), an All-Sun Belt guard from Marshall and West Virginia starter Jimmy Bell Jr.

The game in Starkville is obviously the tougher of the two but Jans overperformed in his first season as head coach. Don’t overlook the Bulldogs.

7. vs. Alabama (Rupp Arena)

Prior to Sunday’s news that Jahvon Quinerly is transferring, I would have had this game higher on the list. However, with Quinerly (8.7 PPG), Brandon Miller (18.8 PPG), Noah Clowney (9.8 PPG), Charles Bediako (6.4 PPG), Jaden Bradley (6.4 PPG), and Nimari Burnett (5.6 PPG) from last year’s SEC Champion team all gone, Nate Oats faces a serious rebuilding project.

The Crimson Tide return only Mark Sears (12.5 PPG), Rylan Griffen (5.9 PPG), and Nick Pringle (3.5 PPG). A talented freshman class is coming in, along with transfers Grant Nelson (Nort Dakota State), Aaron Estrada (Hofstra), and Latrell Wrightsell (CSU Fullerton).

Pearl Johnson
Michael Chang/Getty Images

8. at Auburn (Auburn Arena)

Auburn is among the four teams “Next in Line” in ESPN’s preseason Top 25. The Tigers lost six players, including Wendell Green Jr. (13.7 PPG) and Allen Flanigan (10.1 PPG) but return Jaylin Williams (11.2 PPG), Johni Broome (14.2 PPG), Dylin Cardwell (3.7 PPG), and everyone’s favorite, K.D. Johnson (8.9 PPG). Top 20 recruit Aden Holloway also joins the roster along with two transfers and two junior college players.

This is not Bruce Pearl’s most talented team, but playing at Auburn Arena is tough. So much so that the Cats have lost their last three games there (2022, 2021, 2020). This will be another tall task for a young squad.

9. at Vanderbilt (Memorial Gym)

Vanderbilt is in rebuilding mode after losing Liam Robbins, Jordan Wright, Myles Stute, Quentin Millora-Brown, Malik Dia, and others. However, the Commodores got some good news when guard Tyrin Lawrence (13.1 PPG) announced his return to Nashville. He joins Ezra Manjon (10.5 PPG), Colin Smith (4.7 PPG), Paul Lewis (2.9 PPG), and Lee Dort (1.7 PPG) from the team that beat Kentucky twice last season and should have made the NCAA Tournament.

The Cats have a good record in Memorial Gym as of late, but that place can prove funky, especially for freshmen.

10. at Florida (Exactech Arena)

Colin Castleton is gone, as are Kowacie Reeves and seven other Gators. Yet, Florida returns Will Richard (10.4 PPG) and Riley Kugel (9.9 PPG) and brings in six transfers, including El Jarvis (Yale). The Cats will face the Gators twice next season. We’ll see how big of a jump Todd Golden makes in Year Two in Gainesville.

11. vs. Mississippi State (Rupp Arena)

With all five starters back, Mississippi State could hold its composure and pull off a win in Rupp.

Kentucky forward Daimion Collins looks to the sideline during a game
Photo by Dr. Michael Huang | Kentucky Sports Radio

12. at LSU (Pete Maravich Assembly Center)

Aka, the Daimion Collins game. Collins is a familiar face on a roster that lost several key players, including KJ Williams (17.7 PPG) and Adam Miller (11.5 PPG). Collins isn’t the only SEC player to transfer to Baton Rouge. Vanderbilt’s Jordan Wright (10.6 PPG) will also play for Matt McMahon this season in what feels like a dangerous late Tuesday night contest.

13. vs. Ole Miss (Rupp Arena)

The Chris Beard Era in Oxford has begun. The former Texas coach retains Ole Miss’ top two scorers from last season, Matthew Murrell and Jaemyn Brakefield, and dipped into the transfer portal, adding Auburn guard Allen Flanigan, wing Brandon Murray (Georgetown), centers Moussa Cisse (Oklahoma State) and Jamarion Sharp (Western Kentucky), and point guard Austin Nunez (Arizona State).

Whether or not Beard has a roster that can pull off an upset in Rupp remains to be seen, but you know he’ll be hungry for it.

Photo by Dr. Michael Huang | Kentucky Sports Radio

14. vs. Missouri (Rupp Arena)

We all remember Missouri’s stunning 14-point upset over Kentucky last season. Most of that team is gone, including Kobe Brown, who torched the Cats with 30 points, but Dennis Gates quickly earned my respect in his first season in the conference. He may be the ringleader of young coaches that are unafraid of John Calipari and Kentucky, even in Rupp.

15. vs. Vanderbilt (Rupp Arena)

Stackhouse knows he can win in Rupp now. Hopefully, he doesn’t make it two in a row.

16. at South Carolina (Colonial Life Arena)

The Gamecocks were not good last season but did beat Kentucky in Rupp, one of the true WTF moments from a bizarre year. I don’t think they will be good this season either, but this game is in Columbia, so I’m keeping it off the bottom of the list.

17. vs. Florida (Rupp Arena)

Even if Florida is improved in Todd Golden’s second year, the Cats should take care of business at home.

18. vs. Georgia (Rupp Arena)

Georgia beating Kentucky last year was another head-scratcher. The Bulldogs lost seven of their final eight games to round out the season and only return four players. Mike White added several players from the transfer portal and two Top 100 recruits. If this game was on the road, I’d be more concerned.

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2024-05-22