The Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball program is the men’s college basketball team of the University of Kentucky.
It has eight NCAA championships, the best all-time winning percentage, and the most all-time victories.[2] The Wildcats compete in
the Southeastern Conference and are currently coached by John Calipari.
Adolph Rupp first brought Kentucky to national prominence, winning four NCAA titles. Since then, Joe B. Hall, Rick Pitino, Tubby
Smith, and John Calipari each won a national championship, making Kentucky the only school with five coaches to win NCAA
championships and placing it second only to UCLA for most titles. Kentucky has finished as the NCAA runner-up four times, making it
tied with UCLA and North Carolina for all-time title game appearances at 12. The program has played in 17 NCAA Final Fours, tying
Duke for third-all time behind North Carolina and UCLA. Kentucky leads all schools in several NCAA tournament stats: Elite Eight
appearances at 38, Sweet Sixteen appearances at 45, total NCAA tournament appearances at 60, and tournament games played at 184.
The program is behind only North Carolina with 131 NCAA tournament wins, North Carolina has 132. Kentucky has also won the
National Invitation Tournament twice, making it the only school to win multiple NCAA and NIT championships, and it leads all
schools in total postseason appearances at 68. Additionally, the Helms Athletic Foundation declared Kentucky the 1933 and 1954
national champions, the latter being Kentucky’s only undefeated team in the modern era (post-1930). The 1948 NCAA champion team,
coached by Rupp, represented the United States in the Olympics and won a gold medal.
Kentucky was the first program to 1000 wins in 1968 and the first to 2000 wins in 2009.
The program leads all schools with sixty-three 20-win seasons, sixteen 30-win seasons, and six 35-win seasons. Additionally, Kentucky
is second among all teams in conference regular season championships with 53.
Throughout its history, the Kentucky basketball program has featured many notable and successful players, both on the collegiate level and the professional level.
Five players have been named national player of the year, with Anthony Davis in 2012 and Oscar Tshiebwe in 2022 being consensus selections.
Three players have been named national freshman of the year: John Wall in 2010, Davis in 2012, and Reed Sheppard in 2024. Thirty-nine players have been selected as All-Americans a total of 51 times.
Kentucky holds the record for the most overall NBA Draft selections (128) and three Wildcats have been selected as the first overall pick (Wall, Davis, and Karl-Anthony Towns).
Thirty-nine players have been honored with jersey retirements, as well as Rupp, Hall, Pitino, Smith, equipment manager Bill Keightly, and broadcaster Cawood Ledford.
Seven players have been enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, as well as Rupp, Pitino, Calipari, Eddie Sutton, and Ledford.
As the videotape rolls through the history of the Kentucky basketball program, the highlights are countless.
Eight national championships. Numerous Southeastern Conference titles. Last-second shots.
The trophies. The net cutting. Victory upon victory. The pictures and images continue to roll.
Year after year, the Wildcats have defended national championships and produced a host of All-Americans. The UK program also has stocked the NBA with top young talent.
But the ultimate honor for a Wildcat player or coach is to have his jersey retired. Through the years, 44 former players, coaches and contributors have received this recognition.
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