Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball

Infobox CBB Team
name = Kentucky Wildcats

logo_size = 150
university = University of Kentucky
conference = Southeastern Conference
conference_short = SEC
division = East
city = Lexington
stateabb = KY
state = Kentucky
coach = Billy Gillispie
tenure = 1st
arena = Rupp Arena
capacity = 23,500
nickname = Wildcats
song = On On U of K
color1 = Blue
color2 = White
hex1 = 00407a
hex2 = ffffff
NCAAchampion2 = 1933
NCAAchampion = 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998
NCAArunnerup = 1966, 1975, 1997
NCAAfinalfour = 1942, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1966, 1975, 1978, 1984, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
NCAAeliteeight = 1942, 1945, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2005
NCAAsweetsixteen=
NCAAtourneys=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, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
conference_tournament = 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
conference_season = 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
h_body=00407a
h_pattern_b=_thinsidesonwhite
h_shorts=00407a
h_pattern_s=_blanksides
a_body=00407a
a_pattern_b=_thinwhitesides
a_shorts=00407a
a_pattern_s=_whitesides

The Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team, representing the University of Kentucky, is the in the history of college basketball, both in all-time wins and all-time winning percentage. [2007 NCAA Record Book, p. 47] Kentucky also leads the NCAA in NCAA tournament appearances, NCAA tournament wins, NCAA tournament games, and ranks second to UCLA in NCAA championships with 7. [All-Time Championship Tournament Records] In addition to these titles, Kentucky also has won the National Invitational Tournament in both 1946 and 1976. [cite web |url=http://www.nit.org/history/nit-postseason-results-1940s.html |title=Tournament Results (1940's) |publisher=NIT.org |accessdate=2007-09-15] [cite web |url=http://www.nit.org/history/nit-postseason-results-1970s.html |title=Tournament Results (1970's) |publisher=NIT.org |accessdate=2007-09-15]

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". Likewise, the team itself is often referred to as the "Big Blue".

The team is currently coached by Billy Gillispie.

National championships

The following is a list of Kentucky's 7 National Championships:

Awards and honors

National Coach of the Year:

* Eddie Sutton - 1986
* Rick Pitino - 1992
* Tubby Smith - 2003

All-Americans:

* Basil Hayden - 1921
* Burgress Carey - 1925
* Carey Spicer - 1929, 1931
* Paul McBrayer - 1930
* Louis McGinnis - 1930
* Forest Sale - 1932, 1933
* Ellis Johnson - 1933
* John DeMoisey - 1934
* Bill Davis - 1934
* LeRoy Edwards - 1935
* Bernard Opper - 1939
* Lee Huber - 1941
* Bob Brannum - 1944
* Wilbur Schu - 1945
* Jack Parkinson - 1946
* Jack Tingle - 1946, 1947
* Ralph Beard - 1947, 1948, 1949
* Alex Groza - 1947, 1948, 1949
* Wallace Jones - 1947, 1948, 1949
* Jim Line - 1950
* Bill Spivey - 1950, 1951
* Cliff Hagan - 1952, 1954
* Frank Ramsey - 1951, 1952, 1954
* Bobby Watson - 1952
* Bob Burrow - 1955, 1956
* Vernon Hatton - 1958
* Johnny Cox - 1957, 1959
* Cotton Nash - 1962, 1963, 1964
* Pat Riley - 1966
* Louie Dampier - 1966, 1967
* Thad Jaracz - 1966
* Dan Issel - 1969, 1970
* Mike Pratt - 1970
* Kevin Grevey - 1974, 1975
* Jack Givens - 1976, 1977, 1978
* Rick Robey - 1977, 1978
* Kyle Macy - 1978, 1979, 1980
* Sam Bowie - 1981, 1984
* Melvin Turpin - 1983, 1984
* Kenny Walker - 1985, 1986
* Jamal Mashburn - 1992, 1993
* Tony Delk - 1996
* Ron Mercer - 1997
* Scott Padgett - 1998
* Tayshaun Prince - 2001, 2002
* Keith Bogans - 2003

Olympians:

* Cliff Barker - 1948
* Ralph Beard - 1948
* Alex Groza - 1948
* Wah Wah Jones - 1948
* Ken Rollins - 1948
* Billy Evans - 1956
* Adrian Smith - 1960
* Sam Bowie - 1980
* Tayshaun Prince - 2008

SEC Coach of the Year (AP, Coaches, Rivals.com):

* Joe B. Hall - 1981, 1984
* Eddie Sutton - 1986
* Rick Pitino - 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996
* Tubby Smith - 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005
* Billy Gillispie - 2008 (Co)

SEC Player of the Year (AP, UPI, Coaches):
* Pat Riley - 1966
* Tom Parker - 1972
* Kevin Grevey - 1973, 1975
* Kyle Macy - 1980
* Kenny "Sky" Walker - 1985, 1986
* Jamal Mashburn - 1993
* Tony Delk - 1996
* Ron Mercer - 1997
* Tayshaun Prince - 2001
* Keith Bogans - 2003

SEC Rookie of the Year (AP, Coaches, Rivals.com):

* Patrick Patterson - 2008

SEC All-Freshman Team:

* Rex Chapman - 1987
* Eric Manuel - 1988
* Chris Mills - 1989
* Jamal Mashburn - 1991
* Rodrick Rhodes - 1993
* Ron Mercer - 1996
* Jamaal Magloire - 1997
* Keith Bogans - 2000
* Gerald Fitch - 2001
* Jason Parker - 2001
* Chuck Hayes - 2002
* Rajon Rondo - 2005
* Patrick Patterson - 2008

NBA Champions:
* Paul Noel - 1951 Rochester Royals
* Lou Tsioropoulos - 1957 Boston Celtics
* Frank Ramsey - 1957 Boston Celtics
* Cliff Hagan - 1958 St. Louis Hawks
* Lou Tsioropoulos - 1959 Boston Celtics
* Frank Ramsey - 1959 Boston Celtics
* Frank Ramsey - 1960 Boston Celtics
* Frank Ramsey - 1961 Boston Celtics
* Frank Ramsey - 1962 Boston Celtics
* Frank Ramsey - 1963 Boston Celtics
* Frank Ramsey - 1964 Boston Celtics
* Pat Riley - 1972 Los Angeles Lakers
* Larry Steele - 1977 Portland Trail Blazers
* Kevin Grevey - 1978 Washington Bullets
* Rick Robey - 1981 Boston Celtics
* Tayshaun Prince - 2004 Detroit Pistons
* Nazr Mohammed - 2005 San Antonio Spurs
* Derek Anderson - 2006 Miami Heat
* Antoine Walker - 2006 Miami Heat
* Rajon Rondo - 2008 Boston Celtics

Retired Jerseys

Players:
* Basil Hayden
* Carey Spicer
* Forest Sale
* John DeMoisey #00
* Layton Rouse #26
* Ken Rollins #10
* Alex Groza #15
* Ralph Beard #12
* Wallace Jones #27
* Cliff Barker #23
* Bill Spivey #77
* Cliff Hagan #6
* Frank Ramsey #30
* Lou Tsioropoulos #16
* Billy Evans #42
* Gayle Rose #20
* Jerry Bird #22
* Phil Grawemeyer #44
* Bob Burrow #52
* Vernon Hatton #50
* Johnny Cox #24
* Cotton Nash #44
* Louie Dampier #10
* Pat Riley #42
* Dan Issel #44
* Kevin Grevey #35
* Jack "Goose" Givens #21
* Rick Robey #53
* Kyle Macy #4
* Sam Bowie #31
* Kenny "Sky" Walker #34
* Deron Feldhaus #12
* John Pelphrey #34
* Richie Farmer #32
* Sean Woods #11
* Jamal Mashburn #24

Coaches:
* Adolph Rupp
* Joe B. Hall
* Rick Pitino

Contributors:
* Cawood Ledford (radio commentator)
* Bill "Mr. Wildcat" Keightley (equipment manager)

Current Players in the NBA

The following is a list of Kentucky's alumni in the NBA:

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 LSU in a playoff to earn the Southeastern Conference 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. [cite book |last=Wallace |first=Tom |title=Kentucky Basketball Encyclopedia |date=15 October 2002 |publisher=Sports Publishing LLC |isbn=1582615691 |pages=pg. 353 |chapter=UK in the NCAA ]
*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" (1.96 m), 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 Western. However, the Miners would deny Rupp another title. For more details on the game, see the articles for Rupp and the Miners' coach, Don Haskins. Future NBA coach Pat Riley was a starter on this team.
*"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 UCLA in John Wooden'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. Hall, 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—more specifically, to the team's four seniors, Richie Farmer, Deron Feldhaus, John Pelphrey, and Sean Woods. 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 Duke in an overtime game often called the greatest game in NCAA basketball history. [http://espn.go.com/ncb/columns/forde_pat/1297334.html] [http://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.
*Miracle in Mardi Gras: 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 1996 team was arguably the most talented team in college basketball history, with nine players who would eventually play in the NBA:
**Derek Anderson
**Tony Delk
**Walter McCarty
**Ron Mercer
**Nazr Mohammed
**Mark Pope
**Jeff Sheppard
**Wayne Turner
**Antoine Walker: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 State, they would make a dominating run to the Final Four. They avenged an early-season loss to UMass in the national semifinals, and defeated Syracuse in the final. Many of these players, including Scott Padgett, 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 Arizona 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 Smith'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 Stanford. In the final against Utah, they became the first team to come back from a double-digit halftime deficit in the final game.

Traditions

Nickname

The first nickname for University of Kentucky athletics teams was the Cadets, an acknowledgment of the school's strong ROTC program. The name changed in 1909 when, following a victory over the University of Illinois in football, UK faculty member 1Lt Philip Corbusier commented that the team "fought like wildcats." The press latched onto the quote, and the university's teams have sported the name Wildcats ever since.

Big Blue Madness

Big Blue Madness, formerly known as "Midnight Madness", is a highly anticipated event that marks the first NCAA-allowed basketball practice of the year. Formerly held in Memorial Coliseum, since moving to Rupp Arena, the event has sold out each year.

My Old Kentucky Home

Kentucky's state anthem, "My Old Kentucky Home", is traditionally played after home games or after Senior Night Introductions. This song is typically sung by a special guest; arguably the most famous of which was the late Happy Chandler.

"The Y"

During the second half of some home games, the cheerleading squad spells out "KENTUCKY." Usually, a special guest performs what is simply called "the Y", an action of making a "Y" with their arms, finishing the spelling of "KENTUCKY."

Three Point Streak

The Wildcats have gone 675 consecutive games with at least one three point field goal made as of March 20, 2008, one of the longest such streaks in the nation.

References

*cite book |url=http://www.ncaa.org/library/records/basketball/m_basketball_champs_records/2006/d1/2006_d1_m_basketball_champ_records.pdf |title=All-Time Championship Tournament Records and Results |publisher=NCAA.org |accessdate=2007-09-15 |date=2006
*cite book |last=Nelli |first=Bert |title=The Winning Tradition: A History of Kentucky Wildcat Basketball |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=Lexington, Kentucky |year=1984 |isbn=0813115191
*cite book |url=http://www.ncaa.org/library/records/basketball/m_basketball_records_book/2007/2007_m_basketball_records.pdf |title=Official 2007 NCAA Men's Basketball Records Book |publisher=NCAA.org |month=November |year=2006 |accessdate=2007-09-15
*cite book|url=http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/statistics.html|Jon Scott's Kentucky Basketball Statistics|publisher=The Kentucky Basketball Statistics Project|month=March|year=2008|accessdate=2008-03-10

http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/statistics/statistics.html

ee also

*Kentucky-Louisville rivalry
*Basketbowl