LEXINGTON, Ky. — Yale represented a middle ground in terms of Kentucky men's basketball opponents nine games into the Wildcats' season.
No, the Bulldogs weren't on the level of Gonzaga, Michigan or Michigan State. But they certainly were a cut above Bellarmine, Howard, Duquesne, South Carolina State and North Florida. Yale made the NCAA Tournament last season, and even after losing a pair of All-Ivy League performers in Azar Swain and Jalen Gabbidon, the Bulldogs still were one of three co-favorites (along with Penn and Princeton) to win the conference in 2022-23.