Kentucky Wildcats | |||
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University | University of Kentucky | ||
First season | 1903 | ||
All-time record | 2,238–688 (.765) | ||
Athletic director | Mitch Barnhart | ||
Head coach | John Calipari (9th season) | ||
Conference | SEC | ||
Location | Lexington, Kentucky | ||
Arena |
Rupp Arena (Capacity: 23,500) |
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Nickname | Wildcats | ||
Student section | eRUPPtion Zone [100] | ||
Colors | Blue and White |
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Uniforms | |||
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Pre-tournament Premo-Porretta champions | |||
1934 | |||
Pre-tournament Helms champions | |||
1933 | |||
NCAA Tournament champions | |||
1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998, 2012 | |||
NCAA Tournament runner-up | |||
1966, 1975, 1997, 2014 | |||
NCAA Tournament Final Four | |||
1942, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1966, 1975, 1978, 1984, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 | |||
NCAA Tournament Elite Eight | |||
1942, 1945, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 | |||
NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen | |||
1951, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 | |||
NCAA Tournament appearances | |||
1942, 1945, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 | |||
Conference tournament champions | |||
1921, 1933, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1984, 1986, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017 | |||
Conference regular season champions | |||
1926, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017 |
Wildcats in the NBA | |
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NBA Draft Selections | |
Total selected: | 110 |
Lottery Picks in Draft: | 17 |
1st round: | 38 |
No. 1 Picks: | 3 |
The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team is an American college basketball team that represents the University of Kentucky. Kentucky is the most successful NCAA Division I basketball program in history in terms of both all-time wins (2,237) and all-time winning percentage (.765). The Wildcats are currently coached by John Calipari.
Kentucky leads all schools in total NCAA tournament appearances (56), NCAA tournament wins (124), NCAA Tournament games played (174), NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances (42), NCAA Elite Eight appearances (37), and total postseason tournament appearances (64). Further, Kentucky has played in 17 NCAA Final Fours (tied for 2nd place all-time with UCLA), 12 NCAA Championship games, and has won 8 NCAA championships (second only to UCLA's 11). In addition to these titles, Kentucky won the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in both 1946 and 1976, making it the only school to win multiple NCAA and NIT championships. Kentucky also leads all schools with 61 20-win seasons, 15 30-win seasons, and 6 35-win seasons.
Throughout its history, the Kentucky basketball program has featured many notable and successful players, both on the collegiate level and the professional level. Kentucky holds the record for the most NBA Draft selections (121) as well as the most #1 NBA Draft picks (3). The Wildcats have also been led by many successful head coaches, including Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, Eddie Sutton, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith, and John Calipari. Kentucky is the only program with 5 different NCAA Championship coaches (Rupp, Hall, Pitino, Smith, and Calipari).