Where Kentucky MBB targets stand in 247Sports' updated '23 player rankings

Kentucky’s top basketball targets in the class of 2023 fill up the updated 247Sports recruiting rankings — and there’s positive buzz with several of them.

Four Kentucky targets are included in the top ten, along with nine in the top 25. The program’s lone commitment in the class, Reed Sheppard, also comes in at No. 30 overall.

UK target DJ Wagner is no longer the No. 1 player in the class, falling to No. 2 as North Carolina pledge GG Jackson takes over at the top of the list. They’re followed by Justin Edwards, who received an offer from Kentucky back in November during an official visit to Lexington. Matas Buzelis and Kwame Evans Jr. come in at No. 7 and No. 8, respectively, to round out UK targets in the top 10.

Moving down the list, Ron Holland comes in at No. 13, a five-star forward who will take an official visit to Kentucky in June. He’s followed by Robert Dillingham at No. 14, who is on commitment watch for the Wildcats this summer, with a decision expected to come by the end of July.

Aaron Bradshaw comes in at No. 21 overall, followed by Ugonna Kingsley Onyenso at No. 23, arguably Kentucky’s top center targets in the class. Andrej Stojakovic, who received an offer from Kentucky in April, comes in at No. 25 overall — a 78-spot jump.

Check out the outlet’s complete top 30 below:

1. GG Jackson (North Carolina)
2. DJ Wagner (Undecided)
3. Justin Edwards (Undecided)
4. Xavier Booker (Undecided)
5. Mookie Cook (Oregon)
6. Mackenzie Mgbako (Duke)
7. Matas Buzelis (Undecided)
8. Kwame Evans Jr. (Undecided)
9. Sean Stewart (Duke)
10. Isaiah Collier (Undecided)
11. Tyrese Proctor (Duke)
12. Mikey Williams (Undecided)
13. Ron Holland (Undecided)
14. Robert Dillingham (Undecided)
15. Baye Fall (Undecided)
16. Kylan Boswell (Arizona)
17. Omaha Biliew (Undecided)
18. Ja’Kobe Walter (Undecided)
19. Caleb Foster (Duke)
20. Simeon Wilcher (North Carolina)
21. Aaron Bradshaw (Undecided)
22. Dennis Evans (Undecided)
23. Ugonna Kingsley Onyenso (Undecided)
24. Isaiah Miranda (Undecided)
25. Andrej Stojakovic (Undecided)
26. Cody Williams (Undecided)
27. Taison Chatman (Undecided)
28. Stephon Castle (UConn)
29. Kanaan Carlyle (Stanford)
30. Reed Sheppard (Kentucky)

Looking for positive recruiting news going into the weekend? 247Sports’ Travis Branham has it for you. Alongside the outlet’s new rankings, Branham also published his latest intel on some of the top undecided recruits in the class, with Kentucky featured prominently.

In the update, Branham predicts Kentucky to land five-star guard Robert Dillingham, along with singling out the Wildcats as early favorites for five-star wings Matas Buzelis and Ron Holland.

“The recruitment sounds as though it is winding back down and that Dillingham is nearing a decision, with the expectation of a Kentucky commitment coming before the month of July even rolls around,” Branham said of the standout guard.

“Kentucky would be the current betting favorites,” Branham added of Buzelis, “but don’t sleep on the G League and also the North Carolina Tar Heels are starting to gain some momentum.”

“The race for Holland is now becoming a four-team race between UCLA, Arkansas, Kentucky and the G League as the Memphis Tigers are sliding down the leader board,” he said of the five-star forward. “The recruitment of Holland is currently in an evolving state and is something we should have more clarity on in the coming weeks after his visit to Kentucky and as he gets to dig deeper into the questions of going pro and going to college.”

And though he’s currently predicting other schools to land DJ Wagner (Louisville), Justin Edwards (Tennessee) and KJ Evans (Arizona), he included Kentucky as a top threat in each of their respective recruitments.

For the complete rankings, click here. And for Branham’s complete scoop on some of Kentucky’s top targets, click here.