Ranking the non-conference opponents for the Kentucky Wildcats in 2023-24 college basketball season

John Calipari and Kentucky will have their hands full with a handful of college basketball's premier programs on the docket in the 2023-24 season.

The Kentucky Wildcats may be heading into the 2023-24 college basketball season with a relatively inexperienced roster, but by the time March Madness rolls around, this squad will be plenty battle-tested.

Below is a look at the 13 non-conference opponents Kentucky is slated to face this season, ranked in terms of who will present the biggest challenge for Calipari's team:

1. Nov. 14th: Kansas (Neutral)

Kansas is likely to begin the season ranked No. 1 in the AP poll after Bill Self reloaded an already excellent roster during the offseason. The Jayhawks lost Gradey Dick and Jalen Wilson to the NBA and a whopping seven players to the NCAA transfer portal, but they added clearly the best available Player of the entire offseason in former Michigan center Hunter Dickinson.

Dickinson has Player of the Year potential as the go-to option for Self's squad, and they added Texas wing Arterio Morris and sharpshooting guard Nick Timberlake while getting back star defender KJ McCullar and Dajuan Harris, perhaps the best point guard in the country.

Kentucky will have a mega early season test in Chicago and may have to handle this one at less than full strength if either Aaron Bradshaw or Ugonna Onyenso are still recovering from off-season injuries.

2. Dec. 16th: North Carolina (Neutral)

North Carolina and Gonzaga are the other two premier college basketball programs on Kentucky's schedule, but a neutral site against the Tar Heels in December is a tougher matchup than a true home game in February against the Bulldogs - even if the neutral site is Atlanta.

Hubert Davis' team began last season No. 1 in the country, but things unraveled nearly immediately, as they became the first preseason No. 1 team to miss the big dance in the modern era.

Caleb Love departing for Arizona is addition by subtraction for the Heels, as it allows RJ Davis to handle point guard duties alongside Notre Dame transfer Cormac Ryan and stud incoming freshman Elliott Cadeau. Armando Bacot is back in the frontcourt, and the addition of Harrison Ingram as a point forward should play very well for UNC.

3. Feb 10th: Gonzaga

The WCC losing BYU to the Big 12 allows Gonzaga to schedule a non-conference opponent in the middle of their conference slate, and as they used to do against Calipari-coached Memphis squads, they will hit the road to play at Rupp Arena as part of a six-year series these two programs agreed to before last season.

Mark Few and the Zags got the best of Kentucky last year in Spokane, but the Wildcats won't have to deal with the monster in the middle, Drew Timme, as he and star wing Julian Strawther head to the NBA.

The Zags did add a trio of talented transfers, including Creighton point guard Ryan Nembhard and Wyoming center Graham Ike, but getting to play this team at home and in February, when Calipari typically has his younger players in a rhythm, is a big advantage for this team and could be enough to even this series at a win apiece.

4. Nov. 28th: Miami

Jim Larranaga's Hurricanes have been to back-to-back Elite 8's for the first time in program history, a testament to not only coach L's recruiting and coaching acumen but well-documented cash flow from their NIL collective.

They'll head to Rupp to play Kentucky as part of the ACC/SEC challenge, another solid early season test for both squads.

Next year's Miami team will be without ACC Player of the Year Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller, two key guards from last year's squad, but they return Nijel Pack, Wooga Poplar, and Norchad Omier while adding Florida State wing Matthew Cleveland.

Calipari's freshmen will have already played Kansas by this point, but this game will be another big test before the SEC slate begins.

5. Dec. 21st: @ Louisville

The Cardinals were among the worst Power-5 teams in all of college basketball last season, a disastrous performance by Kenny Payne's squad and a huge disappointment for one of college hoops' most notable brands.

However, this game always carries some extra mustard, and playing on the road will be an added challenge. Additionally, Payne and his staff made solid additions this offseason, including USC wing Tre White and embattled Illinois point guard Skyy Clark via the transfer portal, and the No. 6 ranked recruiting class (per 247Sports) highlighted by big man Dennis Evans and point guard Ty-Laur Johnson.

Losing Trentyn Flowers, who left the program to play professionally in Australia, stings for Payne, but this is still a team expected to perform much better than they did in 2022-23, and they'll no doubt bring everything they got for the Wildcats in late December.

6. Nov. 6th: New Mexico State

Not a single team in college basketball had a more disastrous season last year than the Aggies, who had their campaign canceled in February due to multiple significant issues, including a gun incident that resulted in the death of a student at New Mexico and countless hazing allegations.

Coach Greg Heiar and his staff were fired before they finished their first season, and this normally consistent NCAA Tournament team went about rebuilding by hiring Sam Houston State head coach Jason Hooten and adding a top 50 transfer portal class, headlined by Seton Hall guard Femi Odukale, UCF wing Brandon Suggs, and Wake Forest center Davion Bradford.

Part of the reason this game is ranked as high as it is, despite last year's challenges, is this is one of the most overhauled rosters in the country. The Aggies had 11 players in the portal, and playing them so early in the season creates a unique wrinkle for Calipari as they'll have a much harder time prepping a game plan against this squad.

7. Nov. 20th: Saint Joseph's

Saint Joe's was barely a top 200 KenPom team last season, but they are ahead of a few other, higher-ranked teams because they return almost everyone from last year's roster, including Erik Reynolds II, who averaged 19.6 points in 2022-23.

The Hawks don't have a ton of size, so this is a game that will likely come down to how ready Kentucky's freshman bigs are, as well as how the current mystery surrounding Zvonimir Ivisic gets resolved.

This ultimately shouldn't be a game Calipari and the Wildcats struggle with, but any team with this amount of continuity and scoring is worth keeping an eye on.

8. Nov. 24th: Marshall

Marshall was a top 100 KenPom team last season, going 24-8 and finishing second in the Sun Belt conference while boasting two 20 point per game scorers, an extreme rarity in college hoops.

However, they are lower on this list because both Taevion Kinsey and Andrew Taylor are gone, with Kinsey graduating after scoring over 2,600 points for the Thundering Herd while Taylor hit the portal and transferred to Mississippi State.

Additionally, Marshall lost promising big man Micah Handlogten to SEC rival Florida, depleting what was an experienced and talented team last year. A few decent mid-major portal additions don't replicate what coach Dan D'Antoni II lost, and Kentucky shouldn't struggle with this team unless they are still full from Thanksgiving dinner.

9. Dec. 9th: Penn (Neutral)

The Wildcats will play Penn in Philadelphia this season, a nice homecoming for many Kentucky stars. Penn went 17-13 last year and finished third in the Ivy League thanks to Jordan Dingle, whose 23.4 points per game was second in the country last year behind Antoine Davis.

Dingle is now with coach Rick Pitino at St. John's, and while the Quakers kept many other key players, they will have a hard time replicating last year's success without their star scorer. Kentucky should feel right at home in Philly, and this game falls at a nice time in the schedule for a well-rested Wildcats team to take care of business.

10. Dec. 2nd: UNC Wilmington

Wilmington won 24 games last year and finished third in the CAA, and they return their three leading scorers, who are all seniors - giving them plenty of experience and continuity.

They also add veteran sharpshooter KJ Jenkins from New Mexico, who shot a whopping 43.6% from deep last year, but this team's lack of size should allow Kentucky to coast to victory to kick off the month of December.

11. Dec. 29th: Illinois State

Calipari didn't schedule many true gimme games this season, but Illinois State is a nice tune-up before the conference slate starts in early January on the road against Florida.

The Redbirds went 11-21 last year, finishing ninth in the Missouri Valley Conference. Former Wisconsin guard Jordan Davis is a solid addition, but this game is little more than a reunion for Antonio Reeves and a chance for Kentucky to keep their legs fresh before SEC play begins.

12. Nov. 10th: Texas A&M Commerce

Sandwiched between the season opener against New Mexico State and the big matchup against Kansas is a date with Lions of Texas A&M-Commerce, a squad that finished outside the KenPom top 300 last year.

This game will be another chance for Kentucky's young players to familiarize themselves with playing D1 college basketball and at Rupp Arena before they embark on the biggest challenge of their careers against the Jayhawks four days later.

13. Nov. 17th: Stonehill

Stonehill's first D1 season was a success, as they went 14-17 overall and 10-6 to finish tied for second in the NEC. They posted the same conference record as Fairleigh Dickinson, who upset No. 1 seed Purdue in the first round, but Kentucky fans likely won't have much to worry about against this Seahawks squad as they recover from their early season test vs. Kansas a few days prior.

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