Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
Encyclopedia
The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team, representing the University of Kentucky
, is the winningest in the history of college basketball
, both in all-time wins and all-time winning percentage. Kentucky's all-time record currently stands at 2058–647 (.761). Kentucky also leads all schools in total NCAA tournament appearances
with 51, is tied with North Carolina
in NCAA tournament wins with 105, and ranks second to UCLA
in NCAA championships
with 7. In addition to these titles, Kentucky also has won the National Invitation Tournament
in both 1946 and 1976. (Kentucky is the only school to win multiple NCAA and NIT titles.) The Wildcats have played in a record 51 NCAA tournaments, in a record 151 NCAA tournament games, have an NCAA record 42 Sweet-16 appearances, and an NCAA record 33 Elite-8 appearances. Further, Kentucky has played in 14 Final Fours (4th place all time), and has 10 NCAA championship game appearances (tied for second place all time with Duke), winning 7 NCAA championships (second only to UCLA all time). Kentucky is the only school with four different NCAA championship coaches (Rupp, Hall, Pitino, Smith).
The Wildcats play their home games in Rupp Arena
, a facility named for their former coach, Adolph Rupp
. The arena's official capacity is 23,500 and the team consistently ranks first in the nation in home game attendance. The team's huge fan base is often referred to as the "Big Blue Nation
" or the "Big Blue Mist", the latter because the fans typically engulf tournament and neutral-site venues. Likewise, the team itself is often referred to as the "Big Blue". In the 1980s the team was credited with popularizing Midnight Madness
.
On April 1, 2009, John Calipari
was formally announced as Kentucky's 18th men's head basketball coach, replacing the fired Billy Gillispie
.
. The first home court for the Wildcats was simply called "the Gymnasium", and was located in the north wing of Barker Hall on the university campus. Constructed in 1902, it also housed the university's physical education
classes until 1909. The facility had a capacity of 650 people, and with no bleachers or seats, fans had to stand to watch the games that were played there.
By the 1920s, it had become clear that the Gymnasium (by then renamed the "Ladies' Gym") was inadequate to house the university's basketball team. In 1924, Alumni Gym
was completed. The new facility included seating for 2,800 people and cost $92,000 to construct.
Coming off back-to-back national championships, the team moved to Memorial Coliseum in 1950. Nicknamed "The House That Rupp Built", the multipurpose facility cost $4 million and seated 12,000 people. It also housed a swimming pool, physical education equipment, and offices for the athletics staff. The team occupied Memorial Coliseum for twenty-six seasons, and sold out every home game during that period.
The Wildcats' present home court, Rupp Arena
, was opened in 1976. Located off-campus, in downtown Lexington
, the facility's official capacity is 23,500. The Wildcats have consistently led the country in home attendance since the mid 1970s, and in the 2010–11 season, again led the nation in home attendance. This was Kentucky's 23rd National Attendance title since the 1976–77 season, when Rupp Arena first opened.
In 2007, the university unveiled the Joe Craft Center
, a $30 million state-of-the-art basketball practice facility for both the men's and women's teams.
) but defeating the Lexington YMCA
.
Through 1908, the team did not manage a winning season, and had an all-time record of 15–29. In the fall of 1909, the faculty athletic senate voted to abolish the men’s basketball program at Kentucky, due to a poor record and an overcrowded gym. As a reaction to this, the University of Kentucky students presented the board of trustees with a solution to the overcrowding. The plan was for a wooden floor and new lighting to be installed in the Armory
. To address the poor record of the past teams, the university's head football coach, E.R. Sweetland
was named head coach. This made him the first paid coach in Kentucky’s basketball history. That year, the team went 5–4, and only three years later, boasted their first undefeated season with nine victories and no losses.
In 1919, George Buchheit
became the new head coach of the Wildcats. An alumnus of the University of Illinois, he brought with him a new system of basketball. The "Buchheit system" or "Illinois system," focused on defense and featured one player standing under each basket, while three roamed the court. Buckheit varied the system he learned in Illinois in one important way. While the Illini employed a zone defense
, Buchheit's system used an aggressive man-to-man
scheme. On offense, he used a complicated system of passing called the "zig-zag" or "figure eight" offense.
Although the team had a losing season in Buchheit's first year, they won the first-ever Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
tournament the next year, defeating the heavily favored Georgia Bulldogs
. Both of these teams were composed entirely of native Kentuckians, anchored by All-American Basil Hayden
. The tournament victory was considered Kentucky's first major success, and the 1921 team became known as the "Wonder Team."
In 1922, the team was unable to build on the success of the "Wonder Team." Although every player was eligible in 1922, two key players, Hayden and Sam Ridgeway, were injured before the start of the season. Hayden returned from his knee injury during the season, but was never able to play at the level he had the previous year. Ridgeway fought a year-long battle with diphtheria
, and although he recovered, never played for the Wildcats again. The remaining three members of the "Wonder Team" went 9–5 for the season, and bowed out of the SIAA tournament in the second round.
.) A different coach would guide the team for each of the next four years. C.O. Applegran
immediately followed Buchheit, and his 1925 team posted a respectable 13–8 record. The next year, Ray Eklund
led the team to a 15–3 record, and produced UK's second All-American, Burgess Carey.
Seeing the cupboard largely bare for the upcoming year, Eklund resigned shortly before the start of the 1927 season. The team scrambled to find a new coach, and former player Basil Hayden left his coaching job at Kentucky Wesleyan College
to answer the call. An inexperienced coach and a roster largely depleted of talent left the Wildcats with a 3–13 record that year. The disappointment convinced Hayden that he wasn't the "coaching type," and he resigned after the season. Fortunately for the Wildcats, 1927 would be their last losing season for six decades.
. Although he had a talented group of players moving up from the junior varsity team, Mauer quickly discovered that his players didn't know the fundamentals of the game. He began a regimen of three-hour practices five days a week during the preseason. The practice began with half an hour of shooting drills and usually ended with a full-court scrimmage. Between the two, Mauer worked on skill drills and scenarios. Mauer's teams were nicknamed the "Mauermen."
Teamwork was the hallmark of Mauer's system. Every player worked on every aspect of the game; there were no specialists. Like Buchheit, Mauer employed a strong man-to-man defense. He utilized a slow-break offense that relied on a complicated system of short passes to get a good shot. Two elements of Mauer's system were new to basketball in the south – the offensive screen
and the bounce pass. The latter was so new to most of UK's opponents that it was referred to as the "submarine attack."
Over his three-year tenure, Mauer led the Wildcats to an overall record of 40–14. One major prize eluded him, however. Despite having teams that were almost universally acknowledged as the "class of the South," Mauer never led a team to the Southern Conference
title. Despite his innate ability for coaching, Mauer lacked the ability to heighten his team's emotions for a big game, a fault that was cited as the reason for his lack of tournament success. Mauer left the Wildcats to coach the Miami University Redskins
following the 1930 season.
, who had played as a reserve for the University of Kansas
1922 and 1923 Helms National Championship teams, under coach Forest C. "Phog" Allen
. At the time of his hiring, Rupp was a high school coach in Freeport, Illinois
. He would go on to become the all-time winningest coach in college basketball.
Rupp coached the University of Kentucky men's basketball team from 1930 to 1972. At Kentucky, he earned the titles "Baron of the Bluegrass" and "The Man in the Brown Suit" (Rupp always wore a brown suit to games). Rupp was a master of motivation and strategy, often using local talent to build his teams. In fact, throughout his career, more than 80% of Rupp's players came from the state of Kentucky. He promoted a sticky man-to-man defense, a fluid set offense, perfect individual fundamentals, and a relentless fast break that battered opponents into defeat. Rupp demanded 100% effort from his players at all times, pushing them to great levels of success.
Rupp's Wildcat teams won 4 NCAA championships
(1948
, 1949
, 1951
, 1958
), one NIT
title in 1946
, appeared in 20 NCAA tournaments, had 6 NCAA Final Four appearances, captured 27 Southeastern Conference
(SEC) regular season titles, and won 13 SEC tournaments
. Rupp's Kentucky teams also finished ranked No. 1 on 6 occasions in the final Associated Press
college basketball poll and 4 times in the United Press International
(Coaches) poll. In addition, Rupp's legendary 1966 Kentucky squad (nicknamed "Rupp's Runts", as no starting player on the squad was taller than 6'5") finished second in the NCAA tournament, and his powerful 1947 Wildcats finished second in the NIT
. Also, both Rupp's 1933 and 1954 Kentucky squads were awarded the Helms National Championship. The team did not play the 1952–1953 season because of a point shaving
scandal during its 1949 NCAA Championship year (the scandal involving six other schools and 33 players in total). Five of Rupp's Kentucky players, including Alex Groza and Ralph Beard, were involved or implicated (three of the players were convicted and received suspended sentences while others were implicated by team mates but not convicted of any crimes). Groza and Beard, stars of the 1948 U.S. Olympic basketball team and now professionals, were thrown out of the NBA for life as a result. The team returned next year to its position of dominance by posting a perfect 25–0 record in regular season play, for which it was awarded the 1954 Helms National Championship. On the team were four players who had graduated at the conclusion of the previous academic year. When the NCAA ruled those players ineligible from post-season play, Coach Rupp decided to skip the 1954 NCAA and NIT (which still carried a good deal of prestige) Tournaments in protest.
The 1966 NCAA championship game against Texas Western (now University of Texas-El Paso or UTEP) marked the first occurrence that an all-white starting five (Kentucky) played an all-black starting five (Texas Western) in the NCAA championship game. Texas Western won the game 72–65, on the night of March 19, 1966. This game, and the result of it, were especially significant as the game came at a time when the civil rights movement was coming into full swing around the country. In 1969, after actively recruiting black players for over 6 years, Rupp finally signed his first black player, Tom Payne, an athletic 7'-1" center out of Louisville. This ended the aspect of all-white Kentucky teams forever, and marked a new era with many notable black Kentucky basketball legends, including Jack Givens, Sam Bowie, Kenny Walker, Jamal Mashburn and Tayshaun Prince.
Rupp was forced into retirement in 1972 after reaching age 70, which at the time was the mandatory retirement age for all University of Kentucky employees. He was a 4-time National Coach-of-the-Year award winner.
was the head basketball coach at Kentucky from 1972 to 1985. Although he had been an assistant at Kentucky since 1965, Coach Hall was given a difficult task: to follow in the footsteps of his legendary predecessor, Adolph Rupp
. In the 1978 NCAA Tournament
, he coached the Wildcats to their fifth NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
. He was named National Coach of the Year in 1978 and SEC Coach of the Year on four different occasions. His record at UK was 297–100, and 373–156 over his career.
Along with the 1978 title, Hall also guided Kentucky to a runner-up finish to UCLA in the 1975 NCAA tournament
(which included an upset of heavily-favored and previously undefeated Indiana
in a regional final), a Final Four appearance in the 1984 NCAA Tournament
(losing to eventual champion Georgetown), and an NIT championship in 1976. He won eight SEC regular season championships and one SEC tournament championship (1984). (In this context, the SEC abolished its conference tournament in 1953 and did not reinstate it until 1979.)
Coach Hall is one of only three men to both play on a NCAA championship team (1949– Kentucky) and coach a NCAA championship team (1978– Kentucky). The only others to achieve this feat are:
That being said, Coach Hall is the only man in history to play for an NCAA championship team and coach an NCAA championship team at the same university.
succeeded Joe B. Hall. He coached the Wildcats for four years, leading them to the Elite Eight of the 1986 NCAA Tournament
. Two seasons later, Sutton and the 25–5 Wildcats captured their 37th SEC title and were ranked as the 6th college basketball team in the nation by the Associated Press
and UPI
before losing to Villanova
in the Tournament.
Kentucky entered the 1988–89 season with a gutted roster. Ed Davender, Robert Lock and Winston Bennett
had all graduated from school, while All-SEC sophomore Rex Chapman
left school early to enter the 1988 NBA Draft
. Additionally, sophomore standout Eric Manuel
was suspected of cheating on his college entrance exam and voluntarily agreed to sit out until the investigation was finished. Potential franchise recruit Shawn Kemp
transferred out of Kentucky after signing with the school early that year. Unfortunately, Manuel was forced to sit out the entire season as the investigation dragged on, essentially leaving the Wildcats in the hands of inexperienced sophomore LeRon Ellis
and true freshman Chris Mills
. The two underclassmen struggled to fill the talent vacuum on the court and the Wildcats finished with a losing record of 13–19, the team's first losing full-season record since 1927. To add insult to injury, the NCAA announced at the end of the season that its investigation into the basketball program had found the school guilty of violating numerous NCAA policies.
The scandal broke when Emery Worldwide
employees discovered $1,000 in cash in an envelope Kentucky assistant coach Dwane Casey
sent to Mills' father. Another player, Eric Manuel
, was found to have received improper assistance on his college entrance exams and was banned from NCAA competition. Kentucky was already on probation stemming from an extensive scheme of payments to recruits, and the NCAA seriously considered hitting the Wildcats with the "death penalty", which would have shut down the entire basketball program (as opposed to simply being banned from postseason play) for up to two years. However, school president David Roselle
forced Sutton and athletic director Cliff Hagan
to resign. The Wildcats were slapped with three years' probation, a two-year ban from postseason play and a ban from live television in 1989–90.
left the NBA's New York Knicks
and became the coach at a Kentucky program reeling from the aforementioned scandal. Pitino quickly restored Kentucky's reputation and performance, leading his second school to the Final Four in the 1993 NCAA Tournament
, and winning a national title in the 1996 NCAA Tournament
, Kentucky's
first NCAA championship in 18 years. The following year, Pitino's Kentucky team made it back to the national title game, losing to Arizona
in overtime in the finals of the 1997 NCAA Tournament
. Pitino's fast-paced teams at Kentucky were favorites of the school's fans. It was primarily at Kentucky where he implemented his signature style of full-court pressure defense.
Pitino left Kentucky in 1997 to coach the NBA's Boston Celtics
, he then went on to coach Kentucky's in-state rival, the University of Louisville
.
was introduced as the Wildcats' 20th head coach on May 12, 1997, charged with the unenviable task of replacing popular coach Rick Pitino. The Wildcats were at the top of the basketball world at the time, having won a national title in 1996 and, according to many, missing a second straight title in 1997 by the torn ACL
of shooting guard
Derek Anderson. (Anderson tore his ACL in January against SEC foe Auburn
; Kentucky lost the 1997 title game in overtime to the Arizona Wildcats
.) The team Smith inherited sported seven players from the Arizona loss, and five from the 1996 championship team. However, since most of the players who had left after the 1996 and 1997 seasons were high NBA draft picks, his team had the lowest pre-season ranking since Kentucky came off probation in 1991.
In his first season at UK, he coached the Wildcats to their seventh NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
, including a come-from-behind victory against Duke
in the Elite Eight. His 1998 National Championship is unique in modern times, as being along with 1985 Villanova the 2nd team in over twenty years to win without a First Team All American or future NBA Lottery Pick. (see 1998 NCAA Tournament
).
Smith's teams, known primarily for a defense-oriented slower style of play coined "Tubbyball", received mixed reviews among Kentucky fans who have historically enjoyed a faster, higher-scoring style of play under previous coaches. Smith was also under pressure from Kentucky fans to recruit better players.
Smith led Kentucky to one National Championship in 1998, a perfect 16–0 regular season conference record in 2003, five SEC regular season championships (1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005) and five SEC Tournament titles (1998
, 1999
, 2001
, 2003, 2004), with six Sweet Sixteen finishes and four Elite Eight finishes (1998, 1999, 2003, 2005) in his ten seasons. He totaled 100 wins quicker than any other Wildcat coach except Hall of Famer Adolph Rupp
, reaching the plateau in 130 games. In 2005, he was also named AP Coach of the Year.
Although Smith compiled an impressive resume during his UK career, he came under considerable pressure from many UK fans, who believed that his failure to achieve even a single Final Four appearance in his last nine seasons was inadequate by UK standards. This drought is the longest of any coach in UK history, although Tubby did come just a double-overtime loss short of another Final Four appearance in 2005. On March 22, 2007, Smith resigned his position of UK Head Coach to accept the head coach position at the University of Minnesota
.
was formally announced as the new head coach of the University of Kentucky by UK athletic director Mitch Barnhart
. He fielded questions from the media during the press conference held at UK's new practice facility, the Joe Craft Center
. He expressed his excitement and joy to be not only considered for the position but to have been given the honor and the opportunity to coach what former UK coach Rick Pitino
referred to as the "Roman Empire" of college basketball. "I'm very, very grateful and honored to be here, but we have a lot of work to do." Gillispie became only the sixth head coach in the last 76 years at the school.
Gillispie's second season again started out rocky in 2008 as the 'Cats fell to VMI in their season opener. The second game of the season saw the Wildcats fall to North Carolina
by 19 points. UK rebounded to win 11 of their next 12 games, improving their record to 11–3. On January 4, the Wildcats lost a heart breaker to arch rival Louisville 74–71 after a 25 ft. shot by Edgar Sosa with 2.3 seconds remaining in the game. Prior to the shot, UK was down 7 with 38.5 seconds left, and Jodie Meeks
was fouled shooting a three, proceeded to make all three free throw shots, Patrick Patterson stole an inbound and passed it to Jodie Meeks who laid it in to bring the game to 71–69 with 29.6 left, and then an inbound pass went long and Jodie Meeks snatched the pass, drove to the hoop and was fouled, and then made both free throws to tie the game at 71 with 22.9 left. So all in all, UK and Jodie Meeks got seven points in about 15 seconds to tie the game. Kentucky disposed of Vanderbilt to win their SEC opener on January 10 70–60. On January 13, in a road game against Tennessee, Jodie Meeks set a new Kentucky scoring record by dropping 54 points on the Volunteers. This total bested Dan Issel
's 39 year old scoring record by 1 point, and propelled UK to a 90–72 win and 2–0 start in league play. Kentucky followed up this effort with a 68–45 victory at Georgia
, improving to 14–4 on the season. With wins over Auburn and Alabama
, Kentucky moved to 5–0 in the SEC. On January 26, UK was ranked in the AP Poll (24th) for the first time since week 1 of the 2007–2008 season. UK promptly dropped 3 in a row (to Ole Miss
, South Carolina
, & Mississippi State
) before rebounding at home with a thrilling 68–65 win over Florida
. Jodie Meeks scored 23 points in the contest, including the fade-away contested 3 point basket with less than 5 seconds remaining to seal the win for UK. On Valentine's Day Kentucky handily defeated Arkansas at Bud Walton Arena
79–63 behind another strong performance from Jodie Meeks. Meeks contributed 45 points and helped UK win despite the absence of Patrick Patterson (sprained ankle). With the win, UK remained tied with South Carolina and Tennessee for 1st in the SEC East at 7–3. Following the win UK completely collapsed, losing 5 of its last 6 games to finish the regular season 19–12 with an 8–8 SEC record. Entering the SEC tournament
many felt UK would need to win the championship game to get into the NCAA tournament, but UK was defeated in the second game vs. LSU. With an unimpressive regular season and quick elimination in the SEC tournament, UK did indeed miss the NCAA tournament
for the first time in 18 years and instead received an invitation to the NIT tournament
where the team was defeated in the quarterfinal round against Notre Dame.
On March 27, 2009 an 18 minute long meeting occurred between Billy Gillispie, President Dr. Lee Todd, Jr. and Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart, after which it was announced that Gillispie would not be returning as the head coach the next season. Barnhart stressed the firing was due to more than wins and losses, citing "philosophical differences" and "a clear gap in how the rules and responsibilities overseeing the program are viewed".
, DeMarcus Cousins
, Daniel Orton
, and Eric Bledsoe
. On December 19, 2009, the Wildcats defeated Austin Peay 90–69 extending their record to 11–0, and John Calipari broke Adolph Rupp's record for the most consecutive wins to start a season for a first-year head coach at Kentucky. Kentucky defeated the Drexel Dragons 88–44 on December 21, 2009 to become the first program in college basketball history to claim their 2000th victory. By January 25, 2010, Coach "Cal" had the University of Kentucky ranked No. 1 in both the ESPN/Coaches poll and AP poll with a record of 19–0. By this point, these feats were not even considered his greatest accomplishment at the school, as John Calipari had raised in excess of $1.5 million to aid the country of Haiti during the aftermath of a natural disaster. President Obama called the Wildcats to thank them for their relief efforts and wish them luck in their future endeavors. To finish off the 2009–10 regular season, Kentucky won its 44th SEC regular season championship (with a final 14–2 SEC record), and won its 26th SEC Tournament Championship, beating Mississippi State in the finals. The Wildcats then received a No. 1 seed (their 10th No. 1 seed in history) in the East Regional of the NCAA Tournament, where they eventually lost to West Virginia in the Elite Eight. This also marked Kentucky's record 50th NCAA Tournament appearance. In 2011 he led the Wildcats to their 27th SEC Tournament Title. He led them to to a No. 4 seed on the East regional where they knocked off No. 1 seed Ohio State and No. 2 seed North Carolina on their way to the school's 14th Final Four. They lost in the Final Four to eventual National Champion No. 3 seed UConn 56–55.
is the current coach. To date, 6 Wildcat coaches have won the National Coach of the Year award: Adolph Rupp
in 1950, 1954, 1959 and 1966, Joe B. Hall
in 1978, Eddie Sutton
in 1986, Rick Pitino
in 1990 and 1992, Tubby Smith
in 1998, 2003, and 2005, and John Calipari
in 2010. Additionally, 7 Wildcat coaches have been named Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year: Adolph Rupp
in 1964, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1972, Joe B. Hall
in 1973, 1975, 1978 and 1983, Eddie Sutton
in 1986, Rick Pitino
in 1990, 1991 and 1996, Tubby Smith
in 1998, 2003, and 2005, Billy Gillispie
in 2008, and John Calipari
in 2010.
Coaches:
Contributors:
made, as of November 26th, 2011, the third longest such streak in the nation. Only UNLV
and Vanderbilt
have a longer active such streak in men's college basketball.
(Of the 57 major categories listed above, Kentucky is #1 in 37 of them, #2 in 14 of them, #3 in 2 of them, #4 in 3 of them, and #5 in 1 of them.)
Kentucky can also lay claim to several individual achievements for both players and coaches:
Kentucky also holds several other NCAA records and various additional accomplishments:
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
, is the winningest in the history of college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
, both in all-time wins and all-time winning percentage. Kentucky's all-time record currently stands at 2058–647 (.761). Kentucky also leads all schools in total NCAA tournament appearances
NCAA Men's Division I Tournament bids by school
This is a list of NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament bids by school, as of 2011. Schools whose names are italicized are no longer in Division I, and can no longer be included in the tournament....
with 51, is tied with North Carolina
North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
The North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is considered one of the most successful programs in NCAA history...
in NCAA tournament wins with 105, and ranks second to UCLA
UCLA Bruins men's basketball
The UCLA Bruins men's basketball program, established in 1920, owns a record 11 Division I NCAA championships. UCLA teams coached by John Wooden won 10 national titles in 12 seasons from 1964 to 1975, including 7 straight from 1967 to 1973. UCLA went undefeated a record 4 times, in 1964, 1967,...
in NCAA championships
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
with 7. In addition to these titles, Kentucky also has won the National Invitation Tournament
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
in both 1946 and 1976. (Kentucky is the only school to win multiple NCAA and NIT titles.) The Wildcats have played in a record 51 NCAA tournaments, in a record 151 NCAA tournament games, have an NCAA record 42 Sweet-16 appearances, and an NCAA record 33 Elite-8 appearances. Further, Kentucky has played in 14 Final Fours (4th place all time), and has 10 NCAA championship game appearances (tied for second place all time with Duke), winning 7 NCAA championships (second only to UCLA all time). Kentucky is the only school with four different NCAA championship coaches (Rupp, Hall, Pitino, Smith).
The Wildcats play their home games in Rupp Arena
Rupp Arena
Rupp Arena is an arena located in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. Since its opening in 1976, it has been the centerpiece of Lexington Center, a convention and shopping facility owned by an arm of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, and serves as home court to the University of...
, a facility named for their former coach, Adolph Rupp
Adolph Rupp
Adolph Frederick Rupp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American college basketball. Rupp is fourth in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching...
. The arena's official capacity is 23,500 and the team consistently ranks first in the nation in home game attendance. The team's huge fan base is often referred to as the "Big Blue Nation
Big Blue Nation
The Big Blue Nation is a term, incorporating the trendy "nation" metaphor for American sports fans, used to describe the fan base of University of Kentucky athletics programs, particularly the men's basketball team...
" or the "Big Blue Mist", the latter because the fans typically engulf tournament and neutral-site venues. Likewise, the team itself is often referred to as the "Big Blue". In the 1980s the team was credited with popularizing Midnight Madness
Midnight Madness (basketball)
Midnight Madness is an annual event on college campuses that celebrates the first day in mid-October that the National Collegiate Athletic Association permits formal basketball practices each college basketball season. In some cases, the name has literal meaning since an event is scheduled...
.
On April 1, 2009, John Calipari
John Calipari
John Calipari is an American basketball coach. Since April 2009, he has been the men's head coach at the University of Kentucky....
was formally announced as Kentucky's 18th men's head basketball coach, replacing the fired Billy Gillispie
Billy Gillispie
Billy Clyde Gillispie , also known by his initials BCG, is an American college basketball coach. Since 2011, he has been the current head coach of the men's basketball team at Texas Tech University...
.
Facilities
The Kentucky Wildcats presently play their home games in 23,500-seat Rupp ArenaRupp Arena
Rupp Arena is an arena located in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. Since its opening in 1976, it has been the centerpiece of Lexington Center, a convention and shopping facility owned by an arm of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, and serves as home court to the University of...
. The first home court for the Wildcats was simply called "the Gymnasium", and was located in the north wing of Barker Hall on the university campus. Constructed in 1902, it also housed the university's physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
classes until 1909. The facility had a capacity of 650 people, and with no bleachers or seats, fans had to stand to watch the games that were played there.
By the 1920s, it had become clear that the Gymnasium (by then renamed the "Ladies' Gym") was inadequate to house the university's basketball team. In 1924, Alumni Gym
Alumni Gymnasium (University of Kentucky)
Alumni Gymnasium is a building on the University of Kentucky campus in Lexington, Kentucky. When it opened in 1924, replacing Alumni Hall , it was a 2,800 seat multi-purpose arena, serving as home to the University of Kentucky Wildcats basketball team. It was replaced when the Memorial Coliseum...
was completed. The new facility included seating for 2,800 people and cost $92,000 to construct.
The Wildcats' present home court, Rupp Arena
Rupp Arena
Rupp Arena is an arena located in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. Since its opening in 1976, it has been the centerpiece of Lexington Center, a convention and shopping facility owned by an arm of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, and serves as home court to the University of...
, was opened in 1976. Located off-campus, in downtown Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, the facility's official capacity is 23,500. The Wildcats have consistently led the country in home attendance since the mid 1970s, and in the 2010–11 season, again led the nation in home attendance. This was Kentucky's 23rd National Attendance title since the 1976–77 season, when Rupp Arena first opened.
In 2007, the university unveiled the Joe Craft Center
Joe Craft Center
The Joe Craft Center, opened in January 2007, is a basketball practice facility and athletics office building attached to Memorial Coliseum on the "Avenue of Champions" at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky...
, a $30 million state-of-the-art basketball practice facility for both the men's and women's teams.
Pre-Rupp (1903–1930)
Records indicate that the first head coach of the Wildcats was W.W.H. Mustaine, who in 1903 called together some students, took up a collection totaling $3 for a ball, and told the students to start playing. The first recorded intercollegiate game at the college was a 15–6 defeat to nearby Georgetown College. The team went 1–2 for their first "season," also losing to Kentucky University (later Transylvania UniversityTransylvania University
Transylvania University is a private, undergraduate liberal arts college in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, affiliated with the Christian Church . The school was founded in 1780. It offers 38 majors, and pre-professional degrees in engineering and accounting...
) but defeating the Lexington YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
.
Through 1908, the team did not manage a winning season, and had an all-time record of 15–29. In the fall of 1909, the faculty athletic senate voted to abolish the men’s basketball program at Kentucky, due to a poor record and an overcrowded gym. As a reaction to this, the University of Kentucky students presented the board of trustees with a solution to the overcrowding. The plan was for a wooden floor and new lighting to be installed in the Armory
Armory (military)
An armory or armoury is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, issued to authorized users, or any combination of those...
. To address the poor record of the past teams, the university's head football coach, E.R. Sweetland
Edwin Sweetland
Edwin Regur Sweetland was a coach and athletic administrator at several American universities. During his coaching career he was head coach of many sports including basketball, track and field and crew, but the majority of for his coaching work was in football. Though mainly known for football, he...
was named head coach. This made him the first paid coach in Kentucky’s basketball history. That year, the team went 5–4, and only three years later, boasted their first undefeated season with nine victories and no losses.
George Buchheit and the "Wonder Team"
George Buchheit
George Clifford Buchheit was an American college basketball coach. He was the head of the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team of the University of Kentucky from 1920 to 1924, where he complied a 44-27 record...
became the new head coach of the Wildcats. An alumnus of the University of Illinois, he brought with him a new system of basketball. The "Buchheit system" or "Illinois system," focused on defense and featured one player standing under each basket, while three roamed the court. Buckheit varied the system he learned in Illinois in one important way. While the Illini employed a zone defense
Zone defense
Zone defense is a type of defense, used in team sports, which is the alternative to man-to-man defense; instead of each player guarding a corresponding player on the other team, each defensive player is given an area known as a "zone" to cover....
, Buchheit's system used an aggressive man-to-man
Man-to-man defense
Man-to-man defense is a type of defensive tactic used in American football, association football, and basketball in which each player is assigned to defend and follow the movements of a single player on offense. Often, a player guards his counterpart , but a player may be assigned to guard a...
scheme. On offense, he used a complicated system of passing called the "zig-zag" or "figure eight" offense.
Although the team had a losing season in Buchheit's first year, they won the first-ever Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association was one of the first collegiate athletic conferences in the United States. Twenty-seven of the current Division I FBS football programs were members of this conference at some point, as were at least 19 other schools...
tournament the next year, defeating the heavily favored Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia Bulldogs
The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams of the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference...
. Both of these teams were composed entirely of native Kentuckians, anchored by All-American Basil Hayden
Basil Hayden
Basil Ewing Hayden was an American college basketball player and coach. A Kentucky native, he began playing the sport in the sixth grade and, after a year at Transylvania University, transferred to the University of Kentucky to study chemistry and play on the school's basketball squad...
. The tournament victory was considered Kentucky's first major success, and the 1921 team became known as the "Wonder Team."
In 1922, the team was unable to build on the success of the "Wonder Team." Although every player was eligible in 1922, two key players, Hayden and Sam Ridgeway, were injured before the start of the season. Hayden returned from his knee injury during the season, but was never able to play at the level he had the previous year. Ridgeway fought a year-long battle with diphtheria
Diphtheria
Diphtheria is an upper respiratory tract illness caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, a facultative anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium. It is characterized by sore throat, low fever, and an adherent membrane on the tonsils, pharynx, and/or nasal cavity...
, and although he recovered, never played for the Wildcats again. The remaining three members of the "Wonder Team" went 9–5 for the season, and bowed out of the SIAA tournament in the second round.
The team falters
Buchheit remained as coach through the 1924 season before moving on to coach Trinity College (later Duke UniversityDuke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
.) A different coach would guide the team for each of the next four years. C.O. Applegran
Clarence Applegran
Clarence O. Applegran was an American basketball coach. He was the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team of the University of Kentucky in 1924–1925, and complied a 13-8 record....
immediately followed Buchheit, and his 1925 team posted a respectable 13–8 record. The next year, Ray Eklund
Ray Eklund
Ray Eklund was the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team of the University of Kentucky in 1926. He complied a 15-3 record.Eklund attended University of Minnesota.-External links:*...
led the team to a 15–3 record, and produced UK's second All-American, Burgess Carey.
Seeing the cupboard largely bare for the upcoming year, Eklund resigned shortly before the start of the 1927 season. The team scrambled to find a new coach, and former player Basil Hayden left his coaching job at Kentucky Wesleyan College
Kentucky Wesleyan College
Kentucky Wesleyan College is a private Methodist college in Owensboro, Kentucky, a city on the Ohio River. KWC is just 40 minutes east of Evansville, Indiana, 2 hours north of Nashville, Tennessee, 2 hours west of Louisville, Kentucky, and 4 hours east of St. Louis, Missouri...
to answer the call. An inexperienced coach and a roster largely depleted of talent left the Wildcats with a 3–13 record that year. The disappointment convinced Hayden that he wasn't the "coaching type," and he resigned after the season. Fortunately for the Wildcats, 1927 would be their last losing season for six decades.
The Mauermen
The Wildcats' new coach for the 1928 season was John MauerJohn Mauer
John W. "Johnny" Mauer was an American college basketball, baseball and football coach and multi-sport college athlete. During the course of his thirty-six-year coaching career, Mauer was the head basketball coach at the University of Kentucky, Miami University, the University of Tennessee, the U.S...
. Although he had a talented group of players moving up from the junior varsity team, Mauer quickly discovered that his players didn't know the fundamentals of the game. He began a regimen of three-hour practices five days a week during the preseason. The practice began with half an hour of shooting drills and usually ended with a full-court scrimmage. Between the two, Mauer worked on skill drills and scenarios. Mauer's teams were nicknamed the "Mauermen."
Teamwork was the hallmark of Mauer's system. Every player worked on every aspect of the game; there were no specialists. Like Buchheit, Mauer employed a strong man-to-man defense. He utilized a slow-break offense that relied on a complicated system of short passes to get a good shot. Two elements of Mauer's system were new to basketball in the south – the offensive screen
Screen (sports)
A screen is a blocking move by an offensive player, by standing beside or behind a defender, to free a teammate to shoot, receive a pass, or drive in to score. In basketball, it is also known as a pick. Screens can be on-ball , or off-ball...
and the bounce pass. The latter was so new to most of UK's opponents that it was referred to as the "submarine attack."
Over his three-year tenure, Mauer led the Wildcats to an overall record of 40–14. One major prize eluded him, however. Despite having teams that were almost universally acknowledged as the "class of the South," Mauer never led a team to the Southern Conference
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
title. Despite his innate ability for coaching, Mauer lacked the ability to heighten his team's emotions for a big game, a fault that was cited as the reason for his lack of tournament success. Mauer left the Wildcats to coach the Miami University Redskins
Miami RedHawks men's basketball
The Miami RedHawks men's basketball team intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Miami University. The school competes in the Mid-American Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association . The RedHawks play home basketball games at Millett Hall in Oxford,...
following the 1930 season.
Adolph Rupp (1930–1972)
In 1930, the university hired Adolph RuppAdolph Rupp
Adolph Frederick Rupp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American college basketball. Rupp is fourth in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching...
, who had played as a reserve for the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
1922 and 1923 Helms National Championship teams, under coach Forest C. "Phog" Allen
Phog Allen
Forrest Clare "Phog" Allen was an American basketball and baseball player, coach of American football, basketball, and baseball, college athletics administrator, and osteopathic physician...
. At the time of his hiring, Rupp was a high school coach in Freeport, Illinois
Freeport, Illinois
Freeport is a city in and the county seat of Stephenson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 26,443 at the 2000 census. The mayor of Freeport is George W...
. He would go on to become the all-time winningest coach in college basketball.
Rupp coached the University of Kentucky men's basketball team from 1930 to 1972. At Kentucky, he earned the titles "Baron of the Bluegrass" and "The Man in the Brown Suit" (Rupp always wore a brown suit to games). Rupp was a master of motivation and strategy, often using local talent to build his teams. In fact, throughout his career, more than 80% of Rupp's players came from the state of Kentucky. He promoted a sticky man-to-man defense, a fluid set offense, perfect individual fundamentals, and a relentless fast break that battered opponents into defeat. Rupp demanded 100% effort from his players at all times, pushing them to great levels of success.
Rupp's Wildcat teams won 4 NCAA championships
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
(1948
1948 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
-External links:* on Shrp Sports * , source for much of the information on this page....
, 1949
1949 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1949 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 8 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 1949, and ended with the championship game on March 26 in Seattle, Washington...
, 1951
1951 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1951 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 16 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 20, 1951, and ended with the championship game on March 27 at Williams Arena in Minneapolis,...
, 1958
1958 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1958 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 24 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball in the United States. It began on March 11, 1958, and ended with the championship game on March 22 in...
), one NIT
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
title in 1946
1946 National Invitation Tournament
The 1946 National Invitation Tournament was the 1946 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.-Selected teams:Below is a list of the 8 teams selected for the tournament.-Brackets/Results:Below is the tournament bracket....
, appeared in 20 NCAA tournaments, had 6 NCAA Final Four appearances, captured 27 Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) regular season titles, and won 13 SEC tournaments
SEC Men's Basketball Tournament
The SEC Men's Basketball Tournament is the conference tournament in basketball for the Southeastern Conference . It is a single-elimination tournament that involves all league schools . Its seeding is based on regular season records...
. Rupp's Kentucky teams also finished ranked No. 1 on 6 occasions in the final Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
college basketball poll and 4 times in the United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
(Coaches) poll. In addition, Rupp's legendary 1966 Kentucky squad (nicknamed "Rupp's Runts", as no starting player on the squad was taller than 6'5") finished second in the NCAA tournament, and his powerful 1947 Wildcats finished second in the NIT
1947 National Invitation Tournament
The 1947 National Invitation Tournament was the 1947 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.-Selected teams:Below is a list of the 8 teams selected for the tournament.-Brackets/Results:Below is the tournament bracket....
. Also, both Rupp's 1933 and 1954 Kentucky squads were awarded the Helms National Championship. The team did not play the 1952–1953 season because of a point shaving
Point shaving
In organized sports, point shaving is a type of match fixing where the perpetrators try to prevent a team from covering a published point spread. Unlike other forms of match fixing, sports betting invariably motivates point shaving. A point shaving scheme generally involves a sports gambler and one...
scandal during its 1949 NCAA Championship year (the scandal involving six other schools and 33 players in total). Five of Rupp's Kentucky players, including Alex Groza and Ralph Beard, were involved or implicated (three of the players were convicted and received suspended sentences while others were implicated by team mates but not convicted of any crimes). Groza and Beard, stars of the 1948 U.S. Olympic basketball team and now professionals, were thrown out of the NBA for life as a result. The team returned next year to its position of dominance by posting a perfect 25–0 record in regular season play, for which it was awarded the 1954 Helms National Championship. On the team were four players who had graduated at the conclusion of the previous academic year. When the NCAA ruled those players ineligible from post-season play, Coach Rupp decided to skip the 1954 NCAA and NIT (which still carried a good deal of prestige) Tournaments in protest.
The 1966 NCAA championship game against Texas Western (now University of Texas-El Paso or UTEP) marked the first occurrence that an all-white starting five (Kentucky) played an all-black starting five (Texas Western) in the NCAA championship game. Texas Western won the game 72–65, on the night of March 19, 1966. This game, and the result of it, were especially significant as the game came at a time when the civil rights movement was coming into full swing around the country. In 1969, after actively recruiting black players for over 6 years, Rupp finally signed his first black player, Tom Payne, an athletic 7'-1" center out of Louisville. This ended the aspect of all-white Kentucky teams forever, and marked a new era with many notable black Kentucky basketball legends, including Jack Givens, Sam Bowie, Kenny Walker, Jamal Mashburn and Tayshaun Prince.
Rupp was forced into retirement in 1972 after reaching age 70, which at the time was the mandatory retirement age for all University of Kentucky employees. He was a 4-time National Coach-of-the-Year award winner.
Joe B. Hall (1972–1985)
Joe B. HallJoe B. Hall
-See also:*Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball*NCAA Men's Division I Final Four appearances by coaches- External links :* at unofficial Fan Site* * *...
was the head basketball coach at Kentucky from 1972 to 1985. Although he had been an assistant at Kentucky since 1965, Coach Hall was given a difficult task: to follow in the footsteps of his legendary predecessor, Adolph Rupp
Adolph Rupp
Adolph Frederick Rupp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American college basketball. Rupp is fourth in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching...
. In the 1978 NCAA Tournament
1978 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1978 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 32 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1978, and ended with the championship game on March 27 in St. Louis, Missouri...
, he coached the Wildcats to their fifth NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
. He was named National Coach of the Year in 1978 and SEC Coach of the Year on four different occasions. His record at UK was 297–100, and 373–156 over his career.
Along with the 1978 title, Hall also guided Kentucky to a runner-up finish to UCLA in the 1975 NCAA tournament
1975 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1975 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 32 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 15, 1975, and ended with the championship game on March 31 in San Diego, California...
(which included an upset of heavily-favored and previously undefeated Indiana
Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball
The Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Indiana University . The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the NCAA. The Hoosiers play on Branch McCracken Court at the Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana on the IU...
in a regional final), a Final Four appearance in the 1984 NCAA Tournament
1984 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1984 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 53 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1984, and ended with the championship game on April 2 in Seattle, Washington. A total of...
(losing to eventual champion Georgetown), and an NIT championship in 1976. He won eight SEC regular season championships and one SEC tournament championship (1984). (In this context, the SEC abolished its conference tournament in 1953 and did not reinstate it until 1979.)
Coach Hall is one of only three men to both play on a NCAA championship team (1949– Kentucky) and coach a NCAA championship team (1978– Kentucky). The only others to achieve this feat are:
- Bob Knight – Player for Ohio StateOhio State Buckeyes men's basketballThe Lucas Sapp men's basketball team represents The Ohio State University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. The Buckeyes are a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Buckeyes won their only National Championship in 1960 and have made a total of 21 NCAA Tournament appearances...
in 19601960 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 1960 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball in the United States. It began on March 7, 1960, and ended with the championship game on March 19 in Daly City,...
and coach at Indiana in 19761976 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 1976 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 32 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1976, and ended with the championship game on March 29 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, 19811981 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 1981 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1981, and ended with the championship game on March 30 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, and 19871987 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 1987 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1987, and ended with the championship game on March 30 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
. - Dean SmithDean SmithDean Edwards Smith is a retired American head coach of men's college basketball. Originally from Emporia, Kansas, Smith has been called a “coaching legend” by the Basketball Hall of Fame. Smith is best known for his successful 36-year coaching tenure at the University of North Carolina at Chapel...
– Player for Kansas in 19521952 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament-External links:* on Shrp Sports * , source for much of the information on this page....
and coach at North CarolinaNorth Carolina Tar Heels men's basketballThe North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is considered one of the most successful programs in NCAA history...
in 19821982 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 1982 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1982, and ended with the championship game on March 29 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
and 19931993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 1993, and ended with the championship game on April 5 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
.
That being said, Coach Hall is the only man in history to play for an NCAA championship team and coach an NCAA championship team at the same university.
Eddie Sutton (1985–1989)
In 1985, Eddie SuttonEddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton is an American former college head coach with 36 years of Division I basketball coaching experience at Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State , and the University of San Francisco...
succeeded Joe B. Hall. He coached the Wildcats for four years, leading them to the Elite Eight of the 1986 NCAA Tournament
1986 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1986 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1986, and ended with the championship game on March 31 in Dallas, Texas...
. Two seasons later, Sutton and the 25–5 Wildcats captured their 37th SEC title and were ranked as the 6th college basketball team in the nation by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and UPI
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
before losing to Villanova
Villanova Wildcats men's basketball
This is the article about the men's basketball team from Villanova University. The team has competed since the 1920–21 season. Nicknamed the "Wildcats", Villanova is a member of the Big East Conference and the Philadelphia Big Five. The Villanova Wildcats have appeared in the NCAA...
in the Tournament.
Kentucky entered the 1988–89 season with a gutted roster. Ed Davender, Robert Lock and Winston Bennett
Winston Bennett
Winston George Bennett III is a retired American professional basketball player and current men's basketball head coach for Mid-Continent University.-High school and college career:...
had all graduated from school, while All-SEC sophomore Rex Chapman
Rex Chapman
Rex Everett Chapman is a retired American professional basketball player. Chapman was a college standout at the University of Kentucky and went on to play for four NBA teams through his 12-year career in the league...
left school early to enter the 1988 NBA Draft
1988 NBA Draft
The 1988 NBA Draft took place on June 28, 1988 in New York City, New York. The length was reduced from seven rounds in the previous year to three rounds.-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Notable undrafted players:...
. Additionally, sophomore standout Eric Manuel
Eric Manuel
Eric Manuel was an American college basketball player.Born in Macon, Georgia; Manuel made the Parade and McDonald's All-America teams as a high school senior in 1987. The small forward/shooting guard signed with the Kentucky Wildcats, and broke into the starting lineup by the middle of his...
was suspected of cheating on his college entrance exam and voluntarily agreed to sit out until the investigation was finished. Potential franchise recruit Shawn Kemp
Shawn Kemp
Shawn T. Kemp is a former American professional basketball player, who played in the National Basketball Association for 14 seasons. He was a six-time NBA All-Star and a three-time All-NBA Second Team member.-Early years:...
transferred out of Kentucky after signing with the school early that year. Unfortunately, Manuel was forced to sit out the entire season as the investigation dragged on, essentially leaving the Wildcats in the hands of inexperienced sophomore LeRon Ellis
LeRon Ellis
LeRon Perry Ellis is an American professional basketball player and former NBA athlete. Ellis was considered to be one of the premier high school basketball players in the nation among the class of 1987 while playing for the top-ranked Southern California prep school squad Mater Dei...
and true freshman Chris Mills
Chris Mills
Christopher Lemonte Mills is a retired American professional basketball player.Chris Mills attended Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, from 1986–1988. At 6'7", he was the starting center for each of his three years playing varsity basketball there. In 1987 and 1988, he was awarded the City 4-A...
. The two underclassmen struggled to fill the talent vacuum on the court and the Wildcats finished with a losing record of 13–19, the team's first losing full-season record since 1927. To add insult to injury, the NCAA announced at the end of the season that its investigation into the basketball program had found the school guilty of violating numerous NCAA policies.
The scandal broke when Emery Worldwide
Emery Worldwide
Emery Worldwide was a cargo airline, once one of the leading carriers in the cargo airline world. Its headquarters were located in Redwood City, California....
employees discovered $1,000 in cash in an envelope Kentucky assistant coach Dwane Casey
Dwane Casey
Dwane Casey is a former NCAA basketball player and coach who currently is a head coach in the NBA for the Toronto Raptors.-Early years:Casey was born in Morganfield, Kentucky, and graduated from Union County High School in 1975....
sent to Mills' father. Another player, Eric Manuel
Eric Manuel
Eric Manuel was an American college basketball player.Born in Macon, Georgia; Manuel made the Parade and McDonald's All-America teams as a high school senior in 1987. The small forward/shooting guard signed with the Kentucky Wildcats, and broke into the starting lineup by the middle of his...
, was found to have received improper assistance on his college entrance exams and was banned from NCAA competition. Kentucky was already on probation stemming from an extensive scheme of payments to recruits, and the NCAA seriously considered hitting the Wildcats with the "death penalty", which would have shut down the entire basketball program (as opposed to simply being banned from postseason play) for up to two years. However, school president David Roselle
David Roselle
David Paul Roselle is an American mathematician and academic administrator who served as the ninth President of the University of Kentucky and the 25th President of the University of Delaware.-Early life and family:...
forced Sutton and athletic director Cliff Hagan
Cliff Hagan
Clifford Oldham Hagan is an American former professional basketball player. A 6-4 forward who excelled with the hook shot, Hagan, nicknamed "Li'l Abner," played his entire 10-year NBA career with the St. Louis Hawks...
to resign. The Wildcats were slapped with three years' probation, a two-year ban from postseason play and a ban from live television in 1989–90.
Rick Pitino (1989–1997)
In 1989, Rick PitinoRick Pitino
Rick Pitino is an American basketball coach. Since 2001, he has been the head coach at the University of Louisville. He has also served as head coach at Boston University, Providence College and the University of Kentucky, leading that program to the NCAA championship in 1996...
left the NBA's New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and became the coach at a Kentucky program reeling from the aforementioned scandal. Pitino quickly restored Kentucky's reputation and performance, leading his second school to the Final Four in the 1993 NCAA Tournament
1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 1993, and ended with the championship game on April 5 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
, and winning a national title in the 1996 NCAA Tournament
1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 14, 1996, and ended with the championship game on April 1 at Continental Airlines Arena in...
, Kentucky's
1995-96 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team
The 1995–96 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in the 1995–96 college basketball history. Coached by Rick Pitino, the team finished the season with a 34–2 record and won the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship over the Syracuse University...
first NCAA championship in 18 years. The following year, Pitino's Kentucky team made it back to the national title game, losing to Arizona
Arizona Wildcats men's basketball
The Arizona Wildcats basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The team competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of NCAA Division I. They are currently coached by Sean Miller.Arizona has a long and rich...
in overtime in the finals of the 1997 NCAA Tournament
1997 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1997 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1997, and ended with the championship game on March 31 in Indianapolis, Indiana...
. Pitino's fast-paced teams at Kentucky were favorites of the school's fans. It was primarily at Kentucky where he implemented his signature style of full-court pressure defense.
Pitino left Kentucky in 1997 to coach the NBA's Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
, he then went on to coach Kentucky's in-state rival, the University of Louisville
Louisville Cardinals men's basketball
The Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team is the 18th winningest college basketball team in NCAA Division I history and has the 10th best winning percentage in college basketball history. Currently coached by Rick Pitino, the Cardinals of the University of Louisville have been to 37 NCAA...
.
Orlando "Tubby" Smith (1997–2007)
Orlando "Tubby" SmithTubby Smith
Orlando "Tubby" Smith is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the men's basketball head coach at the University of Minnesota...
was introduced as the Wildcats' 20th head coach on May 12, 1997, charged with the unenviable task of replacing popular coach Rick Pitino. The Wildcats were at the top of the basketball world at the time, having won a national title in 1996 and, according to many, missing a second straight title in 1997 by the torn ACL
Anterior cruciate ligament
The anterior cruciate ligament is a cruciate ligament which is one of the four major ligaments of the human knee. In the quadruped stifle , based on its anatomical position, it is referred to as the cranial cruciate ligament.The ACL originates from deep within the notch of the distal femur...
of shooting guard
Shooting guard
The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...
Derek Anderson. (Anderson tore his ACL in January against SEC foe Auburn
Auburn Tigers men's basketball
The Auburn Tigers men's basketball program is the college basketball program that represents Auburn University, competing in the Southeastern Conference. The program began in 1905. Though they generally play under the shadow of the football program, the Tigers have had successes on the hardwood...
; Kentucky lost the 1997 title game in overtime to the Arizona Wildcats
Arizona Wildcats men's basketball
The Arizona Wildcats basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The team competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of NCAA Division I. They are currently coached by Sean Miller.Arizona has a long and rich...
.) The team Smith inherited sported seven players from the Arizona loss, and five from the 1996 championship team. However, since most of the players who had left after the 1996 and 1997 seasons were high NBA draft picks, his team had the lowest pre-season ranking since Kentucky came off probation in 1991.
In his first season at UK, he coached the Wildcats to their seventh NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
, including a come-from-behind victory against Duke
Duke Blue Devils men's basketball
The Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team is the college basketball program representing Duke University in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I...
in the Elite Eight. His 1998 National Championship is unique in modern times, as being along with 1985 Villanova the 2nd team in over twenty years to win without a First Team All American or future NBA Lottery Pick. (see 1998 NCAA Tournament
1998 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1998 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1998, and ended with the championship game on March 30 at the Alamodome in San Antonio,...
).
Smith's teams, known primarily for a defense-oriented slower style of play coined "Tubbyball", received mixed reviews among Kentucky fans who have historically enjoyed a faster, higher-scoring style of play under previous coaches. Smith was also under pressure from Kentucky fans to recruit better players.
Smith led Kentucky to one National Championship in 1998, a perfect 16–0 regular season conference record in 2003, five SEC regular season championships (1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005) and five SEC Tournament titles (1998
1998 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1998 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament took place from March 5 to March 8, 1998 in Atlanta, GA at the Georgia Dome. Kentucky won the tournament and received the SEC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by beating South Carolina on March 8, 1998....
, 1999
1999 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament
1999 SEC Men's Basketball TournamentMarch 4-7, Georgia DomeAtlanta, GeorgiaAttendance: 225,587-Bracket:-External links:*...
, 2001
2001 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2001 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament took place on March 8-11, 2001 in Nashville, Tennessee at the Gaylord Entertainment Center. The first, quarterfinal, and semifinal rounds were televised by Raycom/LF Sports, and the SEC Championship Game was televised by CBS.-2001 SEC Tournament:...
, 2003, 2004), with six Sweet Sixteen finishes and four Elite Eight finishes (1998, 1999, 2003, 2005) in his ten seasons. He totaled 100 wins quicker than any other Wildcat coach except Hall of Famer Adolph Rupp
Adolph Rupp
Adolph Frederick Rupp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American college basketball. Rupp is fourth in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching...
, reaching the plateau in 130 games. In 2005, he was also named AP Coach of the Year.
Although Smith compiled an impressive resume during his UK career, he came under considerable pressure from many UK fans, who believed that his failure to achieve even a single Final Four appearance in his last nine seasons was inadequate by UK standards. This drought is the longest of any coach in UK history, although Tubby did come just a double-overtime loss short of another Final Four appearance in 2005. On March 22, 2007, Smith resigned his position of UK Head Coach to accept the head coach position at the University of Minnesota
Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball
The Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represents the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers have played in the Big Ten since the conference began sponsoring basketball in 1905...
.
Billy Gillispie (2007–2009)
On April 6, 2007, Billy GillispieBilly Gillispie
Billy Clyde Gillispie , also known by his initials BCG, is an American college basketball coach. Since 2011, he has been the current head coach of the men's basketball team at Texas Tech University...
was formally announced as the new head coach of the University of Kentucky by UK athletic director Mitch Barnhart
Mitch Barnhart
Mitch Barnhart is the athletics director for the Kentucky Wildcats athletics program at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky. Barnhart was hired by the university in 2002 succeeding Larry Ivy. Barnhart served in the same capacity at Oregon State University from 1998-2002. He is the...
. He fielded questions from the media during the press conference held at UK's new practice facility, the Joe Craft Center
Joe Craft Center
The Joe Craft Center, opened in January 2007, is a basketball practice facility and athletics office building attached to Memorial Coliseum on the "Avenue of Champions" at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky...
. He expressed his excitement and joy to be not only considered for the position but to have been given the honor and the opportunity to coach what former UK coach Rick Pitino
Rick Pitino
Rick Pitino is an American basketball coach. Since 2001, he has been the head coach at the University of Louisville. He has also served as head coach at Boston University, Providence College and the University of Kentucky, leading that program to the NCAA championship in 1996...
referred to as the "Roman Empire" of college basketball. "I'm very, very grateful and honored to be here, but we have a lot of work to do." Gillispie became only the sixth head coach in the last 76 years at the school.
Gillispie's second season again started out rocky in 2008 as the 'Cats fell to VMI in their season opener. The second game of the season saw the Wildcats fall to North Carolina
2008-09 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
The 2008–09 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Head Coach was Roy Williams. The team played its home games in the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
by 19 points. UK rebounded to win 11 of their next 12 games, improving their record to 11–3. On January 4, the Wildcats lost a heart breaker to arch rival Louisville 74–71 after a 25 ft. shot by Edgar Sosa with 2.3 seconds remaining in the game. Prior to the shot, UK was down 7 with 38.5 seconds left, and Jodie Meeks
Jodie Meeks
Jodie Meeks is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA.Meeks played college basketball for the University of Kentucky Wildcats...
was fouled shooting a three, proceeded to make all three free throw shots, Patrick Patterson stole an inbound and passed it to Jodie Meeks who laid it in to bring the game to 71–69 with 29.6 left, and then an inbound pass went long and Jodie Meeks snatched the pass, drove to the hoop and was fouled, and then made both free throws to tie the game at 71 with 22.9 left. So all in all, UK and Jodie Meeks got seven points in about 15 seconds to tie the game. Kentucky disposed of Vanderbilt to win their SEC opener on January 10 70–60. On January 13, in a road game against Tennessee, Jodie Meeks set a new Kentucky scoring record by dropping 54 points on the Volunteers. This total bested Dan Issel
Dan Issel
Daniel Paul Issel is a retired American Hall of Fame professional basketball player and coach.-Collegiate playing career:...
's 39 year old scoring record by 1 point, and propelled UK to a 90–72 win and 2–0 start in league play. Kentucky followed up this effort with a 68–45 victory at Georgia
Georgia Bulldogs men's basketball
The Georgia Bulldogs basketball program is the men's college basketball team representing the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. Established in 1891, the team has competed in the Southeastern Conference since its inception in 1932...
, improving to 14–4 on the season. With wins over Auburn and Alabama
Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball
The Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball program has a history of being among the best of the Southeastern Conference . It trails only Kentucky in basketball wins, SEC tournament titles, and SEC regular season titles in the 12-member conference. The team is coached by head coach Anthony Grant,...
, Kentucky moved to 5–0 in the SEC. On January 26, UK was ranked in the AP Poll (24th) for the first time since week 1 of the 2007–2008 season. UK promptly dropped 3 in a row (to Ole Miss
Ole Miss Rebels
University of Mississippi sports teams, originally known as the "Mississippi Flood" , were re-named the Rebels in 1936 and compete in the twelve-member Southeastern Conference of the NCAA's Division I. The school's colors are cardinal red and navy blue , purposely chosen to mirror the school...
, South Carolina
South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball
The South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team represents the University of South Carolina and competes in the Southeastern Conference. The program attained national prominence under hall of fame coach Frank McGuire, posting a 205-65 record and three NCAA Sweet 16 appearances from 1967-1976...
, & Mississippi State
Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball
The Mississippi State Bulldogs basketball program represents Mississippi State University in Starkville, MS in men's NCAA Division I basketball. The Bulldogs play in the Southeastern Conference and are currently coached by Rick Stansbury. As of the 2010 season the Bulldogs are 1272-1056...
) before rebounding at home with a thrilling 68–65 win over Florida
2008–09 Florida Gators men's basketball team
The 2008–09 Florida Gators men's basketball team represented the University of Florida in the sport of basketball during the 2008–09 college basketball season. The Gators competed in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern...
. Jodie Meeks scored 23 points in the contest, including the fade-away contested 3 point basket with less than 5 seconds remaining to seal the win for UK. On Valentine's Day Kentucky handily defeated Arkansas at Bud Walton Arena
Bud Walton Arena
Bud Walton Arena is the home to the men's and women's basketball teams of the University of Arkansas, known as the Razorbacks...
79–63 behind another strong performance from Jodie Meeks. Meeks contributed 45 points and helped UK win despite the absence of Patrick Patterson (sprained ankle). With the win, UK remained tied with South Carolina and Tennessee for 1st in the SEC East at 7–3. Following the win UK completely collapsed, losing 5 of its last 6 games to finish the regular season 19–12 with an 8–8 SEC record. Entering the SEC tournament
2009 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2009 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament took place on March 12–15, 2009 in Tampa, Florida at the St. Pete Times Forum. The first, quarterfinal, and semifinal rounds were televised by Raycom/LF Sports, and the SEC Championship Game was seen on CBS....
many felt UK would need to win the championship game to get into the NCAA tournament, but UK was defeated in the second game vs. LSU. With an unimpressive regular season and quick elimination in the SEC tournament, UK did indeed miss the NCAA tournament
2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The first and second round games were played at the following sites:First and Second Rounds: Thursday and Saturday, March 19 and 21, 2009-Qualifying teams:-Brackets:Results to date * – Denotes overtime periodAll times in U.S. EDT....
for the first time in 18 years and instead received an invitation to the NIT tournament
2009 National Invitation Tournament
-Semifinals and finals:Played at Madison Square Garden in New York City on March 31 and April 2* denotes each overtime played-NIT Championship:...
where the team was defeated in the quarterfinal round against Notre Dame.
On March 27, 2009 an 18 minute long meeting occurred between Billy Gillispie, President Dr. Lee Todd, Jr. and Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart, after which it was announced that Gillispie would not be returning as the head coach the next season. Barnhart stressed the firing was due to more than wins and losses, citing "philosophical differences" and "a clear gap in how the rules and responsibilities overseeing the program are viewed".
John Calipari (2009–present)
On April 1, 2009, John Calipari replaced Billy Gillispie as the Wildcats head coach. To begin his tenure at the University of Kentucky, John Calipari signed one of the best all time recruiting classes. The class was headlined by four five-star recruits: John WallJohn Wall (basketball)
Johnathan Hildred Wall, Jr. is an American basketball player with the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association. Wall was chosen first overall in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Wizards...
, DeMarcus Cousins
DeMarcus Cousins
DeMarcus Cousins is an American professional basketball player with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball at the University of Kentucky.-High school career:...
, Daniel Orton
Daniel Orton
Daniel Joseph Orton is an American professional basketball player with the New Mexico Thunderbirds, the NBA Development League affiliate of the NBA's Orlando Magic...
, and Eric Bledsoe
Eric Bledsoe
Eric Bledsoe is an American basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers. He was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 18th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft...
. On December 19, 2009, the Wildcats defeated Austin Peay 90–69 extending their record to 11–0, and John Calipari broke Adolph Rupp's record for the most consecutive wins to start a season for a first-year head coach at Kentucky. Kentucky defeated the Drexel Dragons 88–44 on December 21, 2009 to become the first program in college basketball history to claim their 2000th victory. By January 25, 2010, Coach "Cal" had the University of Kentucky ranked No. 1 in both the ESPN/Coaches poll and AP poll with a record of 19–0. By this point, these feats were not even considered his greatest accomplishment at the school, as John Calipari had raised in excess of $1.5 million to aid the country of Haiti during the aftermath of a natural disaster. President Obama called the Wildcats to thank them for their relief efforts and wish them luck in their future endeavors. To finish off the 2009–10 regular season, Kentucky won its 44th SEC regular season championship (with a final 14–2 SEC record), and won its 26th SEC Tournament Championship, beating Mississippi State in the finals. The Wildcats then received a No. 1 seed (their 10th No. 1 seed in history) in the East Regional of the NCAA Tournament, where they eventually lost to West Virginia in the Elite Eight. This also marked Kentucky's record 50th NCAA Tournament appearance. In 2011 he led the Wildcats to their 27th SEC Tournament Title. He led them to to a No. 4 seed on the East regional where they knocked off No. 1 seed Ohio State and No. 2 seed North Carolina on their way to the school's 14th Final Four. They lost in the Final Four to eventual National Champion No. 3 seed UConn 56–55.
Coaches
The Wildcats have had 22 coaches in their 106-year history. John CalipariJohn Calipari
John Calipari is an American basketball coach. Since April 2009, he has been the men's head coach at the University of Kentucky....
is the current coach. To date, 6 Wildcat coaches have won the National Coach of the Year award: Adolph Rupp
Adolph Rupp
Adolph Frederick Rupp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American college basketball. Rupp is fourth in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching...
in 1950, 1954, 1959 and 1966, Joe B. Hall
Joe B. Hall
-See also:*Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball*NCAA Men's Division I Final Four appearances by coaches- External links :* at unofficial Fan Site* * *...
in 1978, Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton is an American former college head coach with 36 years of Division I basketball coaching experience at Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State , and the University of San Francisco...
in 1986, Rick Pitino
Rick Pitino
Rick Pitino is an American basketball coach. Since 2001, he has been the head coach at the University of Louisville. He has also served as head coach at Boston University, Providence College and the University of Kentucky, leading that program to the NCAA championship in 1996...
in 1990 and 1992, Tubby Smith
Tubby Smith
Orlando "Tubby" Smith is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the men's basketball head coach at the University of Minnesota...
in 1998, 2003, and 2005, and John Calipari
John Calipari
John Calipari is an American basketball coach. Since April 2009, he has been the men's head coach at the University of Kentucky....
in 2010. Additionally, 7 Wildcat coaches have been named Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year: Adolph Rupp
Adolph Rupp
Adolph Frederick Rupp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American college basketball. Rupp is fourth in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching...
in 1964, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1972, Joe B. Hall
Joe B. Hall
-See also:*Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball*NCAA Men's Division I Final Four appearances by coaches- External links :* at unofficial Fan Site* * *...
in 1973, 1975, 1978 and 1983, Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton
Eddie Sutton is an American former college head coach with 36 years of Division I basketball coaching experience at Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State , and the University of San Francisco...
in 1986, Rick Pitino
Rick Pitino
Rick Pitino is an American basketball coach. Since 2001, he has been the head coach at the University of Louisville. He has also served as head coach at Boston University, Providence College and the University of Kentucky, leading that program to the NCAA championship in 1996...
in 1990, 1991 and 1996, Tubby Smith
Tubby Smith
Orlando "Tubby" Smith is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the men's basketball head coach at the University of Minnesota...
in 1998, 2003, and 2005, Billy Gillispie
Billy Gillispie
Billy Clyde Gillispie , also known by his initials BCG, is an American college basketball coach. Since 2011, he has been the current head coach of the men's basketball team at Texas Tech University...
in 2008, and John Calipari
John Calipari
John Calipari is an American basketball coach. Since April 2009, he has been the men's head coach at the University of Kentucky....
in 2010.
National championships
The following is a list of Kentucky's 7 National Championships:| cellpadding="1" border="1" cellspacing="0" style="width:80%;"> | ||||
| Year | Coach | Opponent | Score | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Adolph Rupp Adolph Rupp Adolph Frederick Rupp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American college basketball. Rupp is fourth in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching... |
Baylor Baylor Bears Baylor Bears refers to the sports teams of Baylor University. Baylor's men's sports teams are nicknamed the Bears, and some women's teams are nicknamed the Lady Bears. Student athletes participate in the NCAA's Division I, and Baylor is the only private school in the Big 12 Conference... |
58–42 | 36–3 |
| 1949 | Adolph Rupp Adolph Rupp Adolph Frederick Rupp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American college basketball. Rupp is fourth in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching... |
Oklahoma State Oklahoma State Cowboys Oklahoma State Cowboys are the athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University. Their mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates in the NCAA's Division I-A and in the Big 12 Conference's South Division. The university's current athletic director is Mike Holder... |
46–36 | 32–2 |
| 1951 | Adolph Rupp Adolph Rupp Adolph Frederick Rupp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American college basketball. Rupp is fourth in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching... |
Kansas State Kansas State Wildcats Kansas State University's athletic teams are called the Wildcats. The official color of the teams is Royal Purple, making Kansas State one of very few schools that have only one official color; white and silver are generally used as complementary colors.Kansas State participates in... |
68–58 | 32–2 |
| 1958 | Adolph Rupp Adolph Rupp Adolph Frederick Rupp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American college basketball. Rupp is fourth in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching... |
Seattle | 84–72 | 23–6 |
| 1978 | Joe B. Hall Joe B. Hall -See also:*Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball*NCAA Men's Division I Final Four appearances by coaches- External links :* at unofficial Fan Site* * *... |
Duke Duke Blue Devils Duke University's 26 varsity sports teams, known as the Blue Devils, compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The name comes from the French "les Diables Bleus" or "the Blue Devils," which was the nickname given during World War I to the Chasseurs Alpins, the French Alpine light infantry... |
94–88 | 30–2 |
| 1996 | Rick Pitino Rick Pitino Rick Pitino is an American basketball coach. Since 2001, he has been the head coach at the University of Louisville. He has also served as head coach at Boston University, Providence College and the University of Kentucky, leading that program to the NCAA championship in 1996... |
Syracuse | 76–67 | 34–2 |
| 1998 | Tubby Smith Tubby Smith Orlando "Tubby" Smith is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the men's basketball head coach at the University of Minnesota... |
Utah Utah Utes The Utah Utes are the athletics teams of the University of Utah. They are named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans. The men's basketball team is known as the "Runnin' Utes"; the women's basketball team, formerly known as the "Lady Utes," now prefers to be referred to as the "Utes"; and the... |
78–69 | 35–4 |
| National Championships | 7 |
| Round | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Elite 8 | Columbia Columbia Lions The Columbia University Lions are the collective athletic teams and their members from Columbia University, an Ivy League institution in New York City, United States. The current director of athletics is M... |
76–51 |
| Final 4 | Holy Cross Holy Cross Crusaders The Holy Cross Crusaders are the athletic teams representing the College of the Holy Cross. They compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Patriot League. The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete in Atlantic Hockey Association and women's golf in the Big South Conference... |
60- 35 |
| Championship | Baylor Baylor Bears Baylor Bears refers to the sports teams of Baylor University. Baylor's men's sports teams are nicknamed the Bears, and some women's teams are nicknamed the Lady Bears. Student athletes participate in the NCAA's Division I, and Baylor is the only private school in the Big 12 Conference... |
58–40 |
| Round | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Elite 8 | Villanova Villanova Wildcats The Villanova Wildcats is the name of the athletic teams of Villanova University. They compete in the Big East for every sport except football, where they compete in the Colonial Athletic Association .-Men's basketball:The Villanova Wildcats compete in the Big EAST and are currently coached by Jay... |
85–72 |
| Final 4 | Illinois Illinois Fighting Illini The Fighting Illini are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The University offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports.... |
76–47 |
| Championship | Oklahoma State Oklahoma State Cowboys Oklahoma State Cowboys are the athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University. Their mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates in the NCAA's Division I-A and in the Big 12 Conference's South Division. The university's current athletic director is Mike Holder... |
46–36 |
| Round | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Sweet 16 | Louisville Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals are the athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. A member of the Big East Conference since 2005, they are known nationally as traditional powers in men's basketball, women's volleyball, and dance team... |
79–68 |
| Elite 8 | St. John's St. John's Red Storm The St. John's Red Storm is the nickname used for the 16 varsity athletic programs of St. John's University. St. John's 16 NCAA Division I teams compete in the Big East Conference, with the exception of the fencing and lacrosse teams, which compete in the ECAC... |
59–43 |
| Final 4 | Illinois Illinois Fighting Illini The Fighting Illini are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The University offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports.... |
76–74 |
| Championship | Kansas State Kansas State Wildcats Kansas State University's athletic teams are called the Wildcats. The official color of the teams is Royal Purple, making Kansas State one of very few schools that have only one official color; white and silver are generally used as complementary colors.Kansas State participates in... |
68–58 |
| Round | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Sweet 16 | Miami (OH) Miami RedHawks Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio, features 18 different varsity level sports teams for men and women, all of which are known as the Miami RedHawks... |
94–70 |
| Elite 8 | Notre Dame Notre Dame Fighting Irish Notre Dame's nickname is inherited from Irish immigrant soldiers who fought in the Civil War with the Union's Irish Brigade, , recollected among other places in the poetry of Joyce Kilmer who served with one of the Irish Brigade regiments during World War I... |
89–56 |
| Final 4 | Temple Temple Owls Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has a very long-running athletic program. The school's sports teams are called the Owls, originating from the university's early days as a night school. The current athletic director is Bill Bradshaw.... |
61–60 |
| Championship | Seattle | 84–72 |
| Round | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Round No. 1 | Florida State Florida State Seminoles The Florida State Seminoles are the men's and women's sports teams of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State participates in the NCAA's Division I . FSU joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1991, and competes in the Atlantic Division in any sports split into a... |
85–76 |
| Sweet 16 | Miami (OH) Miami RedHawks Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio, features 18 different varsity level sports teams for men and women, all of which are known as the Miami RedHawks... |
91–69 |
| Elite Eight | Michigan State Michigan State Spartans The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic team that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 25 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and white... |
52–49 |
| Final 4 | Arkansas Arkansas Razorbacks The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name... |
64–59 |
| Championship | Duke Duke Blue Devils Duke University's 26 varsity sports teams, known as the Blue Devils, compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The name comes from the French "les Diables Bleus" or "the Blue Devils," which was the nickname given during World War I to the Chasseurs Alpins, the French Alpine light infantry... |
94–88 |
| Round | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Round No. 1 | San Jose State San José State Spartans The San Jose State Spartans is the name of the athletic teams representing San Jose State University. SJSU sports teams compete in the Western Athletic Conference at the NCAA Division I level... |
110–72 |
| Round No. 2 | Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Hokies The Virginia Tech Hokies are the athletic teams officially representing Virginia Tech in college sports. The Hokies participate in the NCAA's Division I Atlantic Coast Conference in 19 varsity sports. Virginia Tech's men's sports are football, basketball, baseball, cross country, golf, soccer,... |
84–60 |
| Sweet 16 | Utah Utah Utes The Utah Utes are the athletics teams of the University of Utah. They are named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans. The men's basketball team is known as the "Runnin' Utes"; the women's basketball team, formerly known as the "Lady Utes," now prefers to be referred to as the "Utes"; and the... |
101–70 |
| Elite 8 | Wake Forest Wake Forest Demon Deacons Originally, Wake Forest's athletic teams were known as the Fighting Baptists, due to its association with the Baptist Convention... |
83–63 |
| Final 4 | UMass UMass Minutemen The UMass Minutemen are the athletic teams that represent the University of Massachusetts Amherst in NCAA Division I sports competition. The nickname is also applied to club teams that do not participate within the NCAA structure. Strictly speaking, the Minutemen nickname applies to men's teams and... |
81–74 |
| Championship | Syracuse | 76–67 |
| Round | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Round No. 1 | South Carolina State | 82–67 |
| Round No. 2 | Saint Louis Saint Louis Billikens The Saint Louis Billikens are the collegiate athletic teams from Saint Louis University. This NCAA Division I program has teams in soccer, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, swimming and diving, cross country, tennis, track and field, and field hockey... |
88–61 |
| Sweet 16 | UCLA UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles . The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pacific-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I... |
94–68 |
| Elite 8 | Duke Duke Blue Devils Duke University's 26 varsity sports teams, known as the Blue Devils, compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The name comes from the French "les Diables Bleus" or "the Blue Devils," which was the nickname given during World War I to the Chasseurs Alpins, the French Alpine light infantry... |
86–84 |
| Final 4 | Stanford Stanford Cardinal The Stanford Cardinal is the nickname of the athletic teams at Stanford University.-Nickname and mascot history:Following its win over Cal in the first-ever Big Game in 1892, the color cardinal was picked as the primary color of Stanford's athletic teams... |
86–85 OT |
| Championship | Utah Utah Utes The Utah Utes are the athletics teams of the University of Utah. They are named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans. The men's basketball team is known as the "Runnin' Utes"; the women's basketball team, formerly known as the "Lady Utes," now prefers to be referred to as the "Utes"; and the... |
78–69 |
Final Four history
| 1942 1942 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament -External links:* on Shrp Sports * , source for much of the information on this page.*... -Semifinalist |
1948 1948 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament -External links:* on Shrp Sports * , source for much of the information on this page.... -Champion |
1949 1949 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1949 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 8 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 1949, and ended with the championship game on March 26 in Seattle, Washington... -Champion |
1951 1951 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1951 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 16 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 20, 1951, and ended with the championship game on March 27 at Williams Arena in Minneapolis,... -Champion |
| 1958 1958 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1958 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 24 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball in the United States. It began on March 11, 1958, and ended with the championship game on March 22 in... -Champion |
1966 1966 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1966 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 22 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 7, 1966, and ended with the championship game on March 19 in College Park, Maryland... -Finalist |
1975 1975 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1975 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 32 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 15, 1975, and ended with the championship game on March 31 in San Diego, California... -Finalist |
1978 1978 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1978 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 32 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1978, and ended with the championship game on March 27 in St. Louis, Missouri... -Champion |
| 1984 1984 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1984 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 53 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1984, and ended with the championship game on April 2 in Seattle, Washington. A total of... -Semifinalist |
1993 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 1993, and ended with the championship game on April 5 in New Orleans, Louisiana... -Semifinalist |
1996 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 14, 1996, and ended with the championship game on April 1 at Continental Airlines Arena in... -Champion |
1997 1997 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1997 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1997, and ended with the championship game on March 31 in Indianapolis, Indiana... -Finalist |
| 1998 1998 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1998 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1998, and ended with the championship game on March 30 at the Alamodome in San Antonio,... -Champion |
2011 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The following sites were selected to host each round of the 2011 tournament:First Four*March 15 and 16**University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OhioSecond and third rounds*March 17 and 19**Verizon Center, Washington, D.C.... -Semifinalist |
Retired jerseys
Players:| Basil Hayden Basil Hayden Basil Ewing Hayden was an American college basketball player and coach. A Kentucky native, he began playing the sport in the sixth grade and, after a year at Transylvania University, transferred to the University of Kentucky to study chemistry and play on the school's basketball squad... |
Carey Spicer | Forest Sale Forest Sale Forest E. "Aggie" Sale was a standout American college basketball player at the University of Kentucky from 1930–31 to 1932–33. He played for coach Adolph Rupp and was one of Rupp's first NCAA All-Americans.... |
John DeMoisey No. 00 | Adrian Smith Adrian Smith (basketball) Adrian Howard Smith is a retired American Northeast Mississippi Community College, University of Kentucky, NBA, and ABA player.... No. 50 |
| Layton Rouse No. 26 | Ken Rollins No. 10 | Alex Groza Alex Groza Alex John Groza was an American professional basketball player from Martins Ferry, Ohio who was banned from the NBA for life in 1951 for point shaving... No. 15 |
Ralph Beard Ralph Beard Ralph Milton Beard Jr. was an American collegiate and professional basketball player. He was born in Hardinsburg, Kentucky. Beard was a member of Adolph Rupp's "Fabulous Five" University of Kentucky basketball team... No. 12 |
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| Wallace Jones Wallace Jones Wallace "Wah Wah" Clayton Jones is a retired American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association from 1949 to 1952 with the Indianapolis Olympians.... No. 27 |
Cliff Barker Cliff Barker Clifford "Cliff" Eugene Barker was a basketball player from the United States, who won the gold medal with the USA national basketball team at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom.-References:... No. 23 |
Bill Spivey Bill Spivey William "Bill" Spivey was an American basketball player. A center, he played college basketball for the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Kentucky Wildcats from 1949 to 1951. After his high school career, Spivey was recruited to the University of Kentucky... No. 77 |
Cliff Hagan Cliff Hagan Clifford Oldham Hagan is an American former professional basketball player. A 6-4 forward who excelled with the hook shot, Hagan, nicknamed "Li'l Abner," played his entire 10-year NBA career with the St. Louis Hawks... No. 6 |
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| Frank Ramsey Frank Ramsey (basketball) Frank Vernon Ramsey, Jr. is a former professional basketball player and coach. A 6-3 guard, he played his entire nine-year NBA career with the Boston Celtics and played a major role in the early part of their dynasty, winning seven championships... No. 30 |
Lou Tsioropoulos Lou Tsioropoulos Louis "Lou" C. Tsioropoulos is a retired Greek-American professional basketball player who played for the NBA's Boston Celtics for three seasons from 1956-1959.... No. 16 |
Billy Evans William Evans (basketball) William Best "Billy" Evans was an American basketball player who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics. Evans played collegiately at the University of Kentucky.... No. 42 |
Gayle Rose No. 20 | |
| Jerry Bird Jerry Bird Jerry Lee Bird is a retired American basketball player.He played collegiately for the University of Kentucky.He was selected by the Minneapolis Lakers in the 1956 NBA Draft.... No. 22 |
Phil Grawemeyer No. 44 | Bob Burrow Bob Burrow Robert Brantley "Bob" Burrow is a retired American basketball player.The son of a lumberjack, Burrow was considered the nation's No. 1 junior college player in 1954 at Lon Morris, where he scored 2,191 points.... No. 52 |
Vernon Hatton Vernon Hatton Vernon Hatton is an American basketball player. He played collegiately at the University of Kentucky under coach Adolph Rupp. He is considered a Kentucky basketball legend largely due to a memorable half-court shot he made to force a third overtime in a victory over Temple University... No. 50 |
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| Johnny Cox Johnny Cox Johnny W. Cox is a retired American basketball player.A 6'4" guard from Hazard High School in Kentucky, Cox starred at the University of Kentucky from 1956 to 1959. He scored 1,461 points in 84 career games and won an NCAA Championship in 1958... No. 24 |
Cotton Nash Cotton Nash Charles Francis "Cotton" Nash is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and National Basketball Association forward.... No. 44 |
Louie Dampier Louie Dampier Louis "Louie" Dampier is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6-foot-tall guard, Dampier is one of only a handful of men to play all nine seasons in the American Basketball Association , all with the Kentucky Colonels... No. 10 |
Pat Riley Pat Riley Patrick James "Pat" Riley is an American professional basketball executive, and a retired coach and player in the NBA. Currently, he is team president of the Miami Heat. Widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time, Riley has served as the head coach of five championship teams... No. 42 |
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| Dan Issel Dan Issel Daniel Paul Issel is a retired American Hall of Fame professional basketball player and coach.-Collegiate playing career:... No. 44 |
Kevin Grevey Kevin Grevey Kevin Michael Grevey is a retired American professional basketball player. A 6'5" swingman, the left-handed Grevey played for the Washington Bullets from 1975-1983 and the Milwaukee Bucks from 1983-1985... No. 35 |
Jack "Goose" Givens Jack Givens Jack "Goose" Givens is a retired American collegiate and professional basketball player. Givens led the University of Kentucky to the 1978 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship and was named that year's Final Four Most Outstanding Player due in most part to his 41-point performance in... No. 21 |
Rick Robey Rick Robey Frederick Robert Robey is a retired American professional basketball player. At 6'11", he played the center and forward positions.... No. 53 |
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| Kyle Macy No. 4 | Sam Bowie Sam Bowie Samuel Paul "Sam" Bowie is a retired American basketball player. A national sensation in high school and outstanding collegian, Bowie's professional promise was undermined by repeated injury... No. 31 |
Kenny "Sky" Walker Kenny Walker Kenneth "Kenny" "Sky" Walker is a former professional basketball player, primarily for the New York Knicks of the NBA. Walker played college basketball at the University of Kentucky. He is currently a radio host for WVLK in Lexington, Kentucky.-College career:After being named Mr... No. 34 |
Deron Feldhaus No. 12 | |
| John Pelphrey John Pelphrey John Leslie Pelphrey is an American college basketball coach and was the 14th head men's basketball coach at the University of Arkansas . After being named Kentucky's "Mr. Basketball" in 1987, he became a star college player at the University of Kentucky. Prior to coaching the Razorbacks, he... No. 34 |
Richie Farmer No. 32 | Sean Woods Sean Woods Sean Woods is an American former basketball player who is currently serving as thehead coach of the Mississippi Valley State University men's basketball team. He had previously been an assistant coach at Texas Christian University.... No. 11 |
Jamal Mashburn Jamal Mashburn Jamal Mashburn is a retired American professional basketball player. A small forward, Mashburn was a prolific scorer in his 12 seasons in the league, with a career scoring average of 19.1 points per game... No. 24 |
Coaches:
| Adolph Rupp Adolph Rupp Adolph Frederick Rupp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American college basketball. Rupp is fourth in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching... |
Joe B. Hall Joe B. Hall -See also:*Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball*NCAA Men's Division I Final Four appearances by coaches- External links :* at unofficial Fan Site* * *... |
Rick Pitino Rick Pitino Rick Pitino is an American basketball coach. Since 2001, he has been the head coach at the University of Louisville. He has also served as head coach at Boston University, Providence College and the University of Kentucky, leading that program to the NCAA championship in 1996... |
Contributors:
| Cawood Ledford Cawood Ledford Cawood Ledford was a longtime radio play-by-play announcer for the University of Kentucky basketball and football teams... (radio commentator) |
Bill "Mr. Wildcat" Keightley Bill Keightley William Bond Keightley was the equipment manager for the University of Kentucky men's basketball team, a position he held for 48 years. Known affectionately to most as "Mr. Wildcat," players referred to him as "Mr... (equipment manager) |
Wildcats in the NBA
| Position | Name | Height | Weight (lbs.) | Hometown | Draft Year (Pick, Team) | All-Stars | NBA Championships | NBA Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G-F Small forward The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall... |
Kelenna Azubuike Kelenna Azubuike Kelenna David Azubuike is a professional basketball player. Born in London, England and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Azubuike became a standout player during his play at Victory Christian High School, and was eventually recruited to play for the Wildcats of the University of Kentucky... |
6'5" | 220 | Tulsa, OK Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's... |
2005 (undrafted) | 0 | 0 | New York Knicks New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association... |
| G Point guard Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that... |
Eric Bledsoe Eric Bledsoe Eric Bledsoe is an American basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers. He was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 18th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft... |
6'1" | 190 | Birmingham, AL Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S... |
2010 (18, Oklahoma City) | 0 | 0 | Los Angeles Clippers Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association... |
| G Shooting guard The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team... |
Keith Bogans Keith Bogans Keith Ramon Bogans is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Chicago Bulls.-High school and college:... |
6'5" | 215 | Alexandria, VA Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as... |
2003 (43, Milwaukee) | 0 | 0 | Chicago Bulls Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center... |
| C Center (basketball) The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well... |
DeMarcus Cousins DeMarcus Cousins DeMarcus Cousins is an American professional basketball player with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball at the University of Kentucky.-High school career:... |
6'11" | 270 | Mobile, AL Mobile, Alabama Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest... |
2010 (5, Sacramento) | 0 | 0 | Sacramento Kings Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association... |
| C Center (basketball) The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well... |
Josh Harrellson Josh Harrellson Josh Harrellson is a former American college basketball player. Standing 6 feet, 10 inches tall and weighing 275 pounds, he played center for the Kentucky Wildcats from 2008 to 2011... |
6'11" | 275 | St. Charles, MO | 2011 (45, New Orleans) | 0 | 0 | New York Knicks New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association... |
| F-C Power forward (basketball) Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low... |
Chuck Hayes Chuck Hayes Charles "Chuck" Edward Hayes, Jr. is an American professional basketball player. He is 6'6", 238 pound center/power forward who last played for the Houston Rockets of the NBA... |
6'6" | 238 | Modesto, CA Modesto, California Modesto is a city in, and is the county seat of, Stanislaus County, California. With a population of approximately 201,165 at the 2010 census, Modesto ranks as the 18th largest city in the state of California.... |
2005 (undrafted) | 0 | 0 | Houston Rockets Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being... |
| C Center (basketball) The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well... |
Enes Kanter Enes Kanter Enes Kanter is a Turkish basketball player drafted by the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association in 2011 NBA Draft.-Early life:... * |
6'11" | 255 | Istanbul, Turkey | 2011 (3, Utah) | 0 | 0 | Utah Jazz Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association... |
| G | Brandon Knight Brandon Knight (basketball) Brandon Knight is an American professional basketball point guard with the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association. Knight won the 2009 and 2010 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year Awards... |
6'3" | 180 | Ft. Lauderdale, FL Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010... |
2011 (8, Detroit) | 0 | 0 | Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where... |
| G-F Shooting guard The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team... |
DeAndre Liggins DeAndre Liggins DeAndre Liggins is an American professional basketball player drafted by the Orlando Magic in the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft with the 53rd pick. He is a 6-6 210 lb. shooting guard out of Kentucky.- External links :* * *... |
6'6" | 195 | Chicago, IL | 2011 (53, Orlando) | 0 | 0 | Orlando Magic Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy... |
| C Center (basketball) The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well... |
Jamaal Magloire Jamaal Magloire Jamaal Dane Magloire is a Canadian professional basketball player who last played for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . The , center was selected out of the University of Kentucky by the Charlotte Hornets with the 19th overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft, after withdrawing... |
6'10" | 260 | Toronto, ON | 2000 (19, New Orleans) | 1 (2004) | 0 | Miami Heat Miami Heat The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami... |
| C Center (basketball) The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well... |
Nazr Mohammed Nazr Mohammed Nazr Tahiru Mohammed [NAW-zee] is an American professional basketball player with the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder. He plays the center position. He is 6 ft 10 in and 250 lb... |
6'10" | 238 | Chicago, IL | 1998 (29, Utah) | 0 | 1 (2005 San Antonio) | Oklahoma City Thunder Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are a professional basketball franchise based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ; their home court is at Chesapeake Energy Arena.... |
| G Shooting guard The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team... |
Jodie Meeks Jodie Meeks Jodie Meeks is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA.Meeks played college basketball for the University of Kentucky Wildcats... |
6'4" | 208 | Norcross, GA Norcross, Georgia As of 2010 Norcross had a population of 9,116. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 40.8% white , 19.8% black or African American , 0.7% Native American, 2.1% Asian Indian, 10.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 21.5% from some other race and 4.3% reporting two or more races... |
2009 (41, Milwaukee) | 0 | 0 | Philadelphia 76ers Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA... |
| C Center (basketball) The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well... |
Daniel Orton Daniel Orton Daniel Joseph Orton is an American professional basketball player with the New Mexico Thunderbirds, the NBA Development League affiliate of the NBA's Orlando Magic... |
6'10" | 255 | Oklahoma City, OK Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma... |
2010 (29, Orlando) | 0 | 0 | Orlando Magic Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy... |
| F Power forward (basketball) Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low... |
Patrick Patterson Patrick Patterson (basketball) Patrick Davell Patterson is an American basketball player with the Houston Rockets. He played collegiately for the University of Kentucky. He is a 6'9", 235-pound power forward who grew up in Huntington, West Virginia... |
6'9" | 235 | Huntington, WV Huntington, West Virginia Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at... |
2010 (14, Houston) | 0 | 0 | Houston Rockets Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being... |
| F Small forward The small forward, or colloquially known as three, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically somewhat shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers, but on occasion are just as tall... |
Tayshaun Prince Tayshaun Prince Tayshaun Durell Prince is an American basketball player who last played for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association. Prince is a small forward, listed at and . A graduate of Dominguez High School and the University of Kentucky, Prince was drafted in the first round by the... |
6'9" | 215 | Compton, CA Compton, California Compton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city of Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city to incorporate. The city is considered part of the South side by residents of Los... |
2002 (23, Detroit) | 0 | 1 (2004 Detroit) | Detroit Pistons Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where... |
| G Point guard Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that... |
Rajon Rondo Rajon Rondo Rajon Pierre Rondo is an American professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association . Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Rondo attended Eastern High School and Oak Hill Academy for his high-school basketball career, before receiving a... |
6'1" | 176 | Louisville, KY Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096... |
2006 (21, Phoenix) | 2 (2010, 2011) | 1 (2008 Boston) | Boston Celtics Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which... |
| G Point guard Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that... |
John Wall John Wall (basketball) Johnathan Hildred Wall, Jr. is an American basketball player with the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association. Wall was chosen first overall in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Wizards... |
6'4" | 195 | Raleigh, NC Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh... |
2010 (1, Washington) | 0 | 0 | Washington Wizards Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:... |
- Though he never played a game at Kentucky, Enes Kanter did attend the University for one-full academic year. He also was a part of the men's basketball team as a student assistant after it was announced he was ineligible by the NCAA.
| Wildcats in the NBA | |
|---|---|
| NBA Draft Selections | |
| Total selected: | 100 |
| Lottery Picks in Draft: | 12 |
| 1st round: | 27 |
| No. 1 Picks: | 1 |
| Notable Achievements | |
| Olympic Gold Medal Winners: | 11 |
| NBA Champions: | 13 players a total of 18 times |
| Naismith Basketball-Hall-of-Famers: | 8 |
Memorable teams
- The Fabulous Five: The 1948 team not only won the NCAA title, but provided the core of the United States 1948 Olympic team that won the gold medal in the London Games.
- The 1954 Undefeated Team, which went 25–0 in the regular season and defeated LSULSU Tigers basketballThe Louisiana State Tigers basketball team represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I men's college basketball. The team is currently coached by Trent Johnson and has enjoyed recent success, including a Final Four run in the 2005–2006 season. Past coaches include John Brady, Press...
in a playoff to earn the Southeastern ConferenceSoutheastern ConferenceThe Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
bid to the NCAA tournament. However, several of the team's players had technically graduated during the 1954 season and were prohibited from tournament play. Despite the wishes of the players, Rupp refused to allow the team to play in the tournament, thus leading to the team's reputation as one of the best teams ever to fail to win an NCAA title. - The Fiddlin' Five: The 1958 team was given its nickname by Rupp due to his perception that they tended to "fiddle" early in games. However, they would right their ship in time to give Rupp his fourth and last national title.
- Rupp's Runts: The 1966 team, with no starter taller than 6'5", was arguably the most beloved in UK history. Despite its lack of size, it used devastating defensive pressure and a fast-paced offense to take a 27–1 record and top national ranking into the NCAA final against Texas WesternUniversity of Texas at El PasoThe University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
. With the Kentucky team devastated by the flu, however, the Miners would deny Rupp another title. For more details on the game, see the articles for Rupp and the Miners' coach, Don HaskinsDon HaskinsDonald Lee Haskins, nicknamed "The Bear" , was an American collegiate basketball coach and player. He played for three years under legendary coach Henry Iba at Oklahoma A&M...
. Future NBA coach and Hall-of Famer Pat RileyPat RileyPatrick James "Pat" Riley is an American professional basketball executive, and a retired coach and player in the NBA. Currently, he is team president of the Miami Heat. Widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time, Riley has served as the head coach of five championship teams...
was a starter on this team. So was ABA and NBA star Louie DampierLouie DampierLouis "Louie" Dampier is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6-foot-tall guard, Dampier is one of only a handful of men to play all nine seasons in the American Basketball Association , all with the Kentucky Colonels...
. Both players were named All-Americans in 1966. Sportscaster Larry Conley was also a starter, along with Tom Kron and Thad Jaracz. All five starters were All-SEC selections in 1966. - "The Season Without Celebration": Going into the 1978 season, the Wildcats faced perhaps the most suffocating expectations of any UK team. As freshmen, that year's senior class lost in the 1975 final to UCLAUCLA Bruins men's basketballThe UCLA Bruins men's basketball program, established in 1920, owns a record 11 Division I NCAA championships. UCLA teams coached by John Wooden won 10 national titles in 12 seasons from 1964 to 1975, including 7 straight from 1967 to 1973. UCLA went undefeated a record 4 times, in 1964, 1967,...
in John WoodenJohn WoodenJohn Robert Wooden was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood", he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period — seven in a row — as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented feat. Within this period, his teams won a record 88 consecutive games...
's final game as the Bruins' head coach. The seniors had an outstanding supporting cast, and most Kentucky fans would have accepted nothing less than a national title. Despite its successful run to the title, the team was widely criticized, especially by its own fans, for being too serious and focused, giving rise to the "season without celebration" moniker. Much of the criticism was directed at Head Coach Joe B. HallJoe B. Hall-See also:*Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball*NCAA Men's Division I Final Four appearances by coaches- External links :* at unofficial Fan Site* * *...
, who felt under tremendous pressure from fans and boosters to win the championship, and didn't let up in his quest.
- The Unforgettables: This refers to the 1992 team, and more specifically, to the team's four seniors, Richie Farmer, Deron Feldhaus, John PelphreyJohn PelphreyJohn Leslie Pelphrey is an American college basketball coach and was the 14th head men's basketball coach at the University of Arkansas . After being named Kentucky's "Mr. Basketball" in 1987, he became a star college player at the University of Kentucky. Prior to coaching the Razorbacks, he...
, and Sean WoodsSean WoodsSean Woods is an American former basketball player who is currently serving as thehead coach of the Mississippi Valley State University men's basketball team. He had previously been an assistant coach at Texas Christian University....
. During their senior year, after a two-year absence from postseason play due to NCAA probation, they led the Cats to a deep run in the NCAA tournament, losing 104–103 in the East Regional final to DukeDuke Blue Devils men's basketballThe Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team is the college basketball program representing Duke University in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I...
in an overtime game often called the greatest game in NCAA basketball history.http://static.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/forde_pat/1297334.htmlhttp://espn.go.com/endofcentury/s/games/ncb.html Adding to the team's popularity was the fact that three (Farmer, Feldhaus, Pelphrey) of the four seniors were from small towns in the eastern half of Kentucky. The quartet's jerseys (not their numbers) were retired by UK immediately after the Duke loss; it is very unusual for any team to retire a jersey so quickly after a player's career is finished. - Mardi Gras Miracle: Although the 1994 season would be quite a disappointment in terms of the NCAA Tournament (only non-probation year Pitino failed to take the Cats to at least the Elite Eight), this season is best known for the Wildcats' 31-point comeback at LSU. Down 68–37 with less than sixteen minutes left in the game, Kentucky outscored LSU 62–27 to win 99–95 in one of the greatest comebacks in NCAA basketball history.http://store.vintagesportsvideo.com/kevslsu19.html
- The Untouchables: The 19961995-96 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball teamThe 1995–96 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in the 1995–96 college basketball history. Coached by Rick Pitino, the team finished the season with a 34–2 record and won the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship over the Syracuse University...
team was arguably the most talented team in UK basketball history, and quite possibly the NCAA, with nine players who would eventually play in the NBA:- Derek Anderson
- Tony DelkTony DelkTony Lorenzo Delk is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the New Mexico State Aggies men's basketball team. He was team leader of the 1996 University of Kentucky Wildcats team that won the 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament...
- Walter McCartyWalter McCartyWalter Lee McCarty is an American former basketball player who played for the NBA's New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, and the Los Angeles Clippers....
- Ron MercerRon MercerRonald Eugene Mercer is a former American basketball player at the University of Kentucky who also had a career in the National Basketball Association; the last time he played was for the New Jersey Nets in 2005.-Basketball career:...
- Nazr MohammedNazr MohammedNazr Tahiru Mohammed [NAW-zee] is an American professional basketball player with the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder. He plays the center position. He is 6 ft 10 in and 250 lb...
- Mark PopeMark PopeMark Edward Pope is a American basketball coach and is currently an assistant coach for Brigham Young University...
- Jeff SheppardJeff SheppardJeffrey Kyle Sheppard is a retired American professional and collegiate basketball player.Sheppard was Player of the Year in Georgia in 1993 at McIntosh High School in Peachtree City....
- Wayne TurnerWayne TurnerWayne Keon Turner is an American professional basketball player. He played high school basketball at Beaver Country Day School in Brookline, Massachusetts...
- Antoine WalkerAntoine WalkerAntoine Devon Walker is an American professional basketball player who most recently played for the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League...
- This team became the first SEC team in 40 years to go through the conference regular season undefeated (the Cats would repeat this feat in 2003). After stumbling in the SEC tournament final against Mississippi StateMississippi State BulldogsThe Mississippi State Bulldogs are the athletic teams of Mississippi State University. They participate in NCAA's Division I in the competitive 12-member Southeastern Conference under the mascot Bulldogs and the school colors of maroon and white...
, they would make a dominating run to the Final Four. They avenged an early-season loss to UMassUMass MinutemenThe UMass Minutemen are the athletic teams that represent the University of Massachusetts Amherst in NCAA Division I sports competition. The nickname is also applied to club teams that do not participate within the NCAA structure. Strictly speaking, the Minutemen nickname applies to men's teams and...
in the national semifinals, and defeated SyracuseSyracuse Orange men's basketballThe Syracuse Orange men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball team representing Syracuse University. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big East Conference...
in the final. Many of these players, including Scott PadgettScott PadgettScott Anthony Padgett is a retired American professional basketball player. He played for the NBA's Utah Jazz, Houston Rockets, New Jersey Nets, and Memphis Grizzlies.-High school:...
, another future NBA player who was ineligible in 1996, returned the following season:- The Unbelievables: The 1997 team just missed repeating as national champions when they lost to ArizonaArizona Wildcats men's basketballThe Arizona Wildcats basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The team competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of NCAA Division I. They are currently coached by Sean Miller.Arizona has a long and rich...
in overtime in the NCAA championship game. The nickname comes from the fact that early on in the season, few Wildcats fans gave Kentucky much of a chance of repeating their magical 1996 season. It also gained in importance as the team only had nine total players for the 1997 NCAA Tournament due to injury and transfers. Mohammed, Padgett, Sheppard, and Turner would be back the following season: - The Comeback Cats: The 1998 national champions, in Head Coach Tubby SmithTubby SmithOrlando "Tubby" Smith is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the men's basketball head coach at the University of Minnesota...
's first year at Kentucky, earned this nickname in their last three games. In the South Regional final against Duke, they gained a measure of payback against Duke for the 1992 defeat, coming back from a 17-point deficit with 9:38 remaining. In the national semifinal, they came back from a double-digit halftime deficit again, this time against StanfordStanford CardinalThe Stanford Cardinal is the nickname of the athletic teams at Stanford University.-Nickname and mascot history:Following its win over Cal in the first-ever Big Game in 1892, the color cardinal was picked as the primary color of Stanford's athletic teams...
. In the final against UtahUtah Utes men's basketballThe University of Utah Utes have consistently been one of the most successful basketball programs in the NCAA. They are currently an NCAA Division I program that plays in the Pacific-12 Conference. The school has made the NCAA Tournament 26 times, which ranks 16th in NCAA history and 3rd behind...
, they became the first team to come back from a double-digit halftime deficit in the final game.: - The Draft Cats: The 2010 team just missed the Final Four when they lost to West VirginiaWest Virginia Mountaineers men's basketballThe West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represents West Virginia University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. It is a member of the Big East Conference. West Virginia most recently reached the Final Four of the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, led by...
in the Elite Eight. The name comes from the 2010 NBA Draft2010 NBA DraftThe 2010 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2010 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur...
when they set a record with five players being drafted from the same school in the first round. These players were: John WallJohn Wall (basketball)Johnathan Hildred Wall, Jr. is an American basketball player with the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association. Wall was chosen first overall in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Wizards...
(1st selection), DeMarcus CousinsDeMarcus CousinsDeMarcus Cousins is an American professional basketball player with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball at the University of Kentucky.-High school career:...
(5th), Patrick PattersonPatrick Patterson (basketball)Patrick Davell Patterson is an American basketball player with the Houston Rockets. He played collegiately for the University of Kentucky. He is a 6'9", 235-pound power forward who grew up in Huntington, West Virginia...
(14th), Eric BledsoeEric BledsoeEric Bledsoe is an American basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers. He was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 18th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft...
(18th), and Daniel OrtonDaniel OrtonDaniel Joseph Orton is an American professional basketball player with the New Mexico Thunderbirds, the NBA Development League affiliate of the NBA's Orlando Magic...
(29th).
- The Unbelievables: The 1997 team just missed repeating as national champions when they lost to Arizona
Three point streak
The Wildcats have gone 794 consecutive games (non-exhibition) with at least one three-point field goalThree-point field goal
A three-point field goal is a field goal in a basketball game, made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc radiating from the basket...
made, as of November 26th, 2011, the third longest such streak in the nation. Only UNLV
UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball
The UNLV Runnin' Rebels are a NCAA Division I men's basketball team who play at the Thomas & Mack Center in Paradise, Nevada. Their most recent appearance in the NCAA Tournament was in 2011 when they received an at–large bid to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, earning an 8-seed in...
and Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball
The Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team represents Vanderbilt University in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference . The Commodores have won three SEC regular season titles . They have competed in ten NCAA Tournaments, making it to the Elite Eight once and the Sweet 16 six times...
have a longer active such streak in men's college basketball.
Kentucky Basketball Cumulative All Time statistics
- All Time Wins: 2058 (NCAA rank #1)
- All Time Winning Percentage: .761 (NCAA rank #1)
- NCAA Championships: 7 (NCAA rank #2)
- NCAA Championship Game Appearances: 10 (NCAA rank #2)
- NCAA Final Four Appearances: 14 (NCAA rank #4)
- NCAA Final Four Wins: 17 (NCAA rank #2)
- NCAA Elite-8 Appearances: 33 (NCAA rank #1)
- NCAA Sweet-16 Appearances: 42 (NCAA rank #1)
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 51 (NCAA rank #1)
- NCAA Tournament Wins: 105 (NCAA rank #1)
- NCAA Tournament Games Played: 151 (NCAA rank #1)
- NCAA Tournament Winning Percentage: .695 (NCAA rank #5)
- Total Postseason Tournament Appearances (NCAA and NIT): 59 (NCAA rank #1)
- NBA Draft Picks: 100 (NCAA rank #2)
- All-Americans: 53 (NCAA rank #1)
- All-American Total Selections: 83 (NCAA rank #1)
- First Team Consensus All-Americans: 18 (NCAA rank #2)
- First Team Consensus All-American Total Selections: 23 (NCAA rank #4)
- AP Poll Top-20/25 Weeks Ranked All Time: 768 (NCAA rank #2)
- AP Poll Top-10 Weeks Ranked All Time: 609 (NCAA rank #1)
- AP Poll Top-5 Weeks Ranked All Time: 400 (NCAA rank #2)
- AP Poll No. 1 Weeks Ranked All Time: 90 (NCAA rank #4)
- Final AP Poll Top-25 Finishes: 47 (NCAA rank #1)
- Final AP Poll Top-20 Finishes: 47 (NCAA rank #1)
- Final AP Poll Top-15 Finishes: 42 (NCAA rank #1)
- Final AP Poll Top-10 Finishes: 39 (NCAA rank #1)
- Final AP Poll Top-5 Finishes: 27 (NCAA rank #1)
- Final AP Poll #1 Finishes: 8 (NCAA rank #1)
- Final UPI/Coaches' Poll Top-25 Finishes: 45 (NCAA rank #1)
- Final UPI/Coaches' Poll Top-20 Finishes: 44 (NCAA rank #1)
- Final UPI/Coaches' Poll Top-15 Finishes: 41 (NCAA rank #1)
- Final UPI/Coaches' Poll Top-10 Finishes: 37 (NCAA rank #1)
- Final UPI/Coaches' Poll Top-5 Finishes: 28 (NCAA rank #1)
- Final UPI/Coaches' Poll #1 Finishes: 7 (NCAA rank #1)
- 20-Win Seasons: 55 (NCAA rank #1)
- 25-Win Seasons: 30 (NCAA rank #2)
- 30-Win Seasons: 12 (NCAA rank #1)
- 35-Win Seasons: 4 (NCAA rank #1)
- Average Victories Per Season Played: 19 (NCAA rank #3)
- Average Losses Per Season Played: 5.99 (NCAA rank #1)
- Total Winning Seasons: 91 (NCAA rank #2)
- Total Non-Losing Seasons (.500 or better): 94 (NCAA rank #2)
- Total Coaches With a NCAA Championship Game Appearance: 4 (NCAA rank #2)
- Total Coaches With a Final Four Appearance: 5 (NCAA rank #2)
- Total Decades With a NCAA Championship Game Appearance: 5 (NCAA rank #3)
- Total Decades With a Final Four Appearance: 7 (NCAA rank #1)
- Total Coaches With a NCAA Championship: 4 (NCAA rank #1)
- Total Decades With a NCAA Championship: 4 (NCAA rank #1)
- Total Decades #1 in Total Wins (since 1930): 1 (NCAA rank #2)
- Total Decades Top-5 in Total Wins (since 1930): 4 (NCAA rank #1)
- Total Decades Top-10 in Total Wins (since 1930): 7 (NCAA rank #1)
- Total Decades #1 in Winning Percentage (since 1930): 2 (NCAA rank #1)
- Total Decades Top-5 in Winning Percentage (since 1930): 6 (NCAA rank #1)
- Total Decades Top-10 in Winning Percentage (since 1930): 7 (NCAA rank #1)
- Conference Regular Season Championships: 46 (NCAA rank #2)
- Conference Tournament Championships: 28 (NCAA rank #1)
- National Attendance Titles: 23 (NCAA rank #1)
(Of the 57 major categories listed above, Kentucky is #1 in 37 of them, #2 in 14 of them, #3 in 2 of them, #4 in 3 of them, and #5 in 1 of them.)
Kentucky can also lay claim to several individual achievements for both players and coaches:
- 13 players winning NBA Championships a total of 18 times
- 10 players named NBA All-Star a total of 17 times
- 11 Olympic Gold Medal winners
- 8 Naismith Hall-of-Fame members
- 4 players named National Player-of-the-Year
- 6 head coaches named National Coach-of-the Year a total of 12 times
- 130 players named All-Conference a total of 220 times
- 75 players named All-Conference Tournament a total of 111 times
- 11 players named Conference Player-of-the-Year a total of 13 times
- 14 players named Conference Tournament MVP a total of 15 times
- 15 players named All-NCAA Final Four a total of 18 times
- 45 players named All-NCAA Regional a total of 59 times
- 10 players named NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player a total of 11 times
- 4 players named NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player a total of 5 times
- 68 players who played in the NBA at least one season
- 57 1000-point scorers
- 40 players named McDonald's All-American
Kentucky also holds several other NCAA records and various additional accomplishments:
- Kentucky has 2 NIT Titles (1946, 1976), 2 Helms Titles (1933, 1954), 2 undefeated seasons (1912, 1954), and 5 Sugar Bowl Tournament Championships (1937, 1939, 1949, 1956, 1963).
- Kentucky holds the NCAA record for Consecutive Non-Losing Seasons (60), and for Consecutive Home Court Victories (129).
- Kentucky plays in the nation's largest basketball arena (Rupp Arena, capacity: 23,500), and has both the nation's largest radio and television affiliate networks.
- Kentucky has made a 3-point basket in 794 consecutive games (3rd-most all time), and is the only school to have multiple NCAA (7) and NIT (2) Championships.
- Kentucky has played before the largest regulation basketball game crowd in history (79,129), and the largest Final Four crowd in history (75,421).
- Kentucky was the first school (in 2010) to have 5 players selected in the 1st-Round of the NBA Draft, and was also the first school to reach both the 1000-win and 2000-win victory plateaus.
See also
- Kentucky-Louisville rivalryKentucky-Louisville rivalryThe Kentucky Wildcats and Louisville Cardinals, athletic programs for the most prominent universities in Kentucky, are intense sport rivals. The teams first played each other in 1912 and 1913 but both rivalries were largely dormant for several decades until the teams started playing regularly in...
- BasketbowlBasketbowlThe Basketbowl was a college basketball game between Michigan State University and the University of Kentucky held on December 13, 2003 at Ford Field, a domed American football stadium in Detroit, Michigan. The announced crowd of 78,129 set a record for verified attendance at a basketball game in...
- Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball seasonsKentucky Wildcats men's basketball seasons-History:-Season-by-Season Results:The following is a list of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball seasons, with records and notable accomplishments....
- NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Consecutive AppearancesNCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament consecutive appearancesThis is a list of the most consecutive appearances in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament by schools.-Consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances by programs:-See also:* NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament all-time team records...
External Links
- Voices of Oklahoma interview with Eddie Sutton. First person interview conducted with Eddie Sutton on September 30, 2010. Original audio and transcript archived with Voices of Oklahoma oral history project.