BBN's Favorite Kentucky Games of 2023

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kentucky-best-wins-2023 — (Photo: Dr. Michael Huang/KSR)

As we head into 2024, let’s close the book on 2023 with a celebration of some of Big Blue Nation’s favorite games. It was another fun year to be a Kentucky Wildcat and these are the favorite victories from our New Year’s Day discussion over on KSBoard.

Here’s to many more memories and unforgettable performances in 2024!

Basketball: Kentucky 63, Tennessee 56 (January 14)

Two weeks into the calendar year, John Calipari’s Wildcats went down to Knoxville as a double-digit underdog, having just lost games to Alabama and South Carolina. Starting point guard Sahvir Wheeler was out, too. Still, Kentucky defeated the Vols, spoiling Chris Lofton Day at Thompson-Boling. Antonio Reeves scored 18 points off the bench. Oscar Tshiebwe had 15 and 13. CJ Fredrick added 13.

Basketball: Kentucky 88, Arkansas 79 (March 4)

The postseason was short-lived for last year’s Wildcats in both the SEC and NCAA Tournaments, so the regular season finale is the crowning moment of the journey. In that game, Kentucky went down to Arkansas with its thinnest roster of the year, missing both point guards in a hostile environment. Antonio Reeves seized the opportunity, scoring a career-high 37 points in Kentucky’s nine-point win. Reeves made 12 of 17 shots from the field with only two made three-pointers in his career game.

Baseball: Kentucky 4, Indiana 2 (June 5)

We head over to Kentucky Proud Park for our next memorable game of 2023, arguably the No. 1 game on this entire list. Kentucky Baseball played host to its first-ever NCAA Tournament and won the entire Lexington Regional over Indiana in front of a record crowd. 6,796 fans showed up to support the Cats in their 4-2 defeat of the Hoosiers to advance to the Super Regional for only the second time in school history.

Football: Kentucky 33, Florida 14 (September 30)

Kentucky Football let us down more than once in 2023, but the season still had its exciting Saturdays. The first big one came in September when Ray Davis ran wild on Florida. Davis rushed for 280 yards in Kentucky’s win over the No. 22 Gators, the fifth straight win to open the 2023 season.

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Davis’ rushing total was the third-highest in school history.

Football: Kentucky 38, Louisville 31 (November 25)

Kentucky Football’s season was saved when the Wildcats brought the Governor’s Cup home from Louisville, winning the annual rivalry game for a fifth consecutive season. Devin Leary threw three TDs, Ray Davis scored thrice, and Barion Brown‘s 100-yard kickoff return TD added to the 38-31 final score. Still, it was JJ Weaver and the defense that made a lasting impact with two key fumble recoveries in the second half. Weaver was named MVP of the game.

Volleyball: Kentucky 3, Florida 0 (November 25)

Hours before the Governor’s Cup came home on Thanksgiving weekend, Kentucky Volleyball swept 20th-ranked Florida in Rupp Arena. Beating Florida is always significant, but the 2023 regular season finale also clinched the outright SEC Championship.

Kentucky won at least a share of the title in seven straight seasons.

Basketball: Kentucky 87, North Carolina 83 (December 16)

In one of the best Kentucky Basketball environments I can remember, your University of Kentucky Wildcats defeated ninth-ranked North Carolina in the 2023 CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta. Rob Dillingham was the game-high scorer with 17 points, but it was a well-rounded victory for Calipari’s young team and a statement game in front of the nation. Though close until the very end, Kentucky led for 37 minutes of the game.