The Wildcats finished 34-2 (16-0 SEC) and cruised through the NCAA Tournament with a 21.5-point average margin of victory. 5 in the AP Top 25 as it snapped an 18-year national title drought. Led by a deep cast of future NBA players including Tony Delk, Antoine Walker, Ron Mercer, Derek Anderson and Walter McCarty, Kentucky started the season ranked No. Whittling it down to just eight was a challenge, but here is the rundown of the best Kentucky basketball seasons of all time. Are they more deserving of inclusion in such a ranking than some of the less-heralded title teams? So of all the success the Wildcats have experienced over the last 75-plus years, which eight seasons were their best? The simple answer is that it was the eight national title teams, but there are several historic Kentucky squads that came up short of cutting down the nets. Hall, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith and, of course, John Calipari.īilly Gillespie and Eddie Sutton are the only Kentucky coaches since the Great Depression who didn't win a national title during their tenures - a fact that speaks to the tradition and resources of the program. Since then, Kentucky's five additional titles have come under five coaches, starting with Rupp's last championship in 1958 and stretching back through the tenures of Joe B. The Wildcats have won it all eight times, starting with fabled coach Adolph Rupp's run of three titles in four years from 1948 to 1951. Kentucky trails only UCLA in college basketball lore, at least when it comes to most national titles won.
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