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How many ncaa basketball championships has kentucky won


When was the last time Kentucky won a NCAA Tournament championship?

LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 02: Oscar Tshiebwe #34 and Keion Brooks Jr #12 of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrate against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Rupp Arena on February 02, 2022 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

When was the last time Illinois won a NCAA Tournament championship? by Mike Phillips

When was the last time Auburn won a NCAA Tournament championship? by Mike Phillips

NCAA Basketball

by Mike Phillips Follow @MPhillips331

Kentucky basketball is one of the true blue bloods in college basketball but it has been a little while since they last cut down the nets.

When you think of elite college basketball programs, Kentucky basketball is one that jumps right to the top of the list. Among the bluest of the blue bloods, Kentucky has built a tradition of winning dating back to the glory days of Adolf Rupp, the namesake of the Wildcats’ current arena.

The current architect of the Wildcats is John Calipari, who has a national championship under his belt and has helped Kentucky maintain its status as an SEC powerhouse since his arrival in 2009. This year’s edition of the Wildcats is one of college basketball’s best teams, a potential No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament that made a statement by blowing out Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse during the Big 12/SEC Challenge in late January.

The women’s program is having a tougher year, going 9-10 on the season with a 2-7 mark in SEC play. At this juncture, it looks like the Wildcats will need to win the SEC’s automatic bid during the conference tournament to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.

This year’s Wildcats have an excellent chance of adding to Kentucky’s championship tradition, but when was the last time Kentucky cut down the nets?

Has Kentucky basketball ever won a championship?

The answer to this question is an obvious yes. Kentucky has won the NCAA Tournament a whopping eight times, trailing only UCLA among all programs in D-I history. The program’s most recent championship came in 2012, which saw future NBA star Anthony Davis lead an uber-talented crop of freshmen to March Madness glory, and is the latest in Kentucky’s trophy collection.

NCAA Tournament Championships

  • 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998, 2012

Additionally, the Wildcats also were retroactively awarded a national championship by the Helms Athletic Foundation, which went back over the historical records in 1943 to determine who the best teams in college basketball were prior to the advent of the NCAA Tournament. Rupp’s 1933 Wildcats received a Helms title.

Kentucky’s women’s basketball program has not won a championship yet but has made four deep runs to the Elite Eight. The most recent of those came back in 2013 under former head coach Matt Mitchell.

Kentucky basketball NCAA Tournament history

It feels like March Madness and Kentucky go hand-in-hand, which makes sense since the Wildcats lead all NCAA programs with 59 tournament appearances. Kentucky also is the top college basketball program in terms of NCAA Tournament Wins (131), NCAA Tournament Games (148), Sweet 16 appearances (45) and Elite Eight Appearances (34) while trailing only UCLA and North Carolina with 17 Final Four Appearances.

A full list of the years Kentucky has appeared in the NCAA Tournament is listed below.

  • 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
  • 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
  • 2018
  • 2019

* vacated

The women’s program has reached the NCAA Tournament 16 times, with all but five of their trips to March Madness coming since 2000. A full list of years that the Wildcats’ women’s team has reached the NCAA Tournament follows here:

  • 1982, 1983, 1986, 1991, 1999, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021

Kentucky basketball Final Four appearances

Kentucky has made the Final Four 17 times, ranking third all-time behind only UCLA and North Carolina. The years that Kentucky reached the Final Four are as follows:

  • 1942, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1966, 1975, 1978, 1984, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015

The Kentucky women’s program has yet to reach a Final Four. They have been one win away four times, with the most recent Elite Eight trip coming in 2013.

Kentucky basketball All-Time NCAA Tournament Record

Getting to 59 NCAA Tournaments means that the Wildcats have played a lot of March Madness games. Over the course of those tournaments, Kentucky has appeared in 184 games and won 131 of them, good for an outstanding winning percentage of . 712 in the NCAA Tournament.

That 131-47 record is the envy of all college basketball programs, which makes the lack of recent success for Kentucky feel a bit surprising. The Wildcats’ two-year tournament drought will definitely end on Selection Sunday and there’s an excellent chance that Kentucky can return to the Final Four for the first time since 2015.

The women’s program has appeared in 38 NCAA Tournament games, compiling a record of 22-16 in the process. These Wildcats will have a lot of work to do in order to have an opportunity to improve on that record in 2022.

For more NCAA basketball news, analysis, opinion and features, check out more from the FanSided college basketball section to stay on top of the latest action.

Kentucky national championship history: How many times have Wildcats won the NCAA Tournament?

ncaa-basketball

Kentucky Wildcats

It's far from breaking news, but Kentucky has been very, very good at basketball for a very, very long time.

No Division I program has more wins (2,263) or a higher winning percentage (.764) in NCAA history. Kentucky leads all schools in NBA Draft selections (126) and No. 1 overall picks (3). And 2019 has been status quo for the Wildcats as they finished the regular season ranked fourth in the AP Poll with a 26-5 record.

Kentucky's success hasn't been limited to September through February. The Wildcats have one of the richest March Madness histories in the nation and have a legitimate shot at further bolstering their resume as arguably the best program in NCAA Tournament history.

MORE: When did your team last win a national title in college basketball?

How many national championships has Kentucky won in basketball?

Perhaps by former coach Adolph Rupp's standards, it been a while since Kentucky last added to its total of eight national titles.

It's been seven years, in fact, since the Wildcats won their eighth title by defeating Kansas 67-59, John Calipari's first since taking over the program in 2009. The 2012 team featured No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Anthony Davis as the Wildcats won a record 38 games en route to the championship, losing only on a buzzer-beater in the regular season to Indiana, and in the SEC championship game to Vanderbilt.

Kentucky's sixth title, in 1996, may have been its best team. Referred to as "The Untouchables" because the roster had nine future NBA players led by Antoine Walker, the Wildcats only lost two games all season. Ironically, one of those losses came in an 92-82 fashion to Massachusetts, a team which just so happened to be coached by one John Calipari.

The Wildcats' third championship was the most tumultuous. In the wake of a 1949 point shaving scandal with three former players being arrested just weeks before the '51 season began, Kentucky lost only two games. At the conclusion of the investigation it was found Kentucky committed several rule violations, including giving illegal spending money to players. As a result, the Wildcats were handed the first de facto "death penalty" from the NCAA and were forced to sit out the entire 1952 season.

Kentucky's NCAA championship game appearances

Year Score Record
2014 UConn 60, Kentucky 54 29-11
2012 Kentucky 67, Kansas 59 38-2
1998 Kentucky 78, Utah 66 35-4
1997 Arizona 84, Kentucky 79 35-5
1996 Kentucky 76, Syracuse 67 34-2
1978 Kentucky 94, Duke 88 30-2
1975 UCLA 92, Kentucky 85 26-5
1966 Texas Western 72, Kentucky 65 27-2
1958 Kentucky 84, Seattle 72 23-6
1951 Kentucky 68, Kansas State 58 32-2
1949 Kentucky 46, Oklahoma State 36 32-2
1948 Kentucky 58, Baylor 42 36-3

MORE: Top 10 college basketball programs since 2010: Kentucky or Duke at No. 1?

Kentucky's NCAA Tournament record all time

The Wildcats are 126-51 all time in the NCAA Tournament. Their 17 Final Four appearances are second-most in history, with the most recent coming in 2015. Legendary coach Adolph Rupp led Kentucky to a program-high six Final Fours. Current coach John Calipari brought the Wildcats to four Final Fours in five seasons, the best stretch of any coach ever at Kentucky.

When did Kentucky win its first national championship?

Kentucky brought home the title for the first time in 1948. The team defeated Baylor 58-42 in the championship after beating Holy Cross in the Final Four. Following the NCAA Tournament, Kentucky played in the Olympic trials, going 2-1, good enough to represent the United States in the 1948 Olympics. The starting five from Kentucky went undefeated in the Olympics, becomming the first and only team to win an NCAA championship and Olympic gold medal in the same year.  

MORE: 20 winningest coaches in March Madness history

Which school has won the most NCAA titles?

Kentucky's eight national championships are the second-most all time in men's basketball, trailing only UCLA's 11. North Carolina with six championships and Duke with five are all in position this year to win another title and inch closer to the Wildcats in the all-time title race.

School National titles Most recent
1. UCLA 11 1995
2. Kentucky 8 2012
3. North Carolina 6 2017
4. Duke 5 2015
5. Indiana 5 1987

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Kentucky Sensational Lost to St.

Peter in First Round of NCAA Tournament - Basketball NCAA.

St. Peter became only the 10th 15th seeded team to win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after it expanded to 64 in 1985.

St. Peter's odds were +18.5. The last victory in the NCAA in this scenario was recorded at 1997 year.

Kentucky had previously won 30 games in a row against teams seeded 10th or higher.

Results of the NCAA-2022: Gonzag at the top, Johnny Davis-Best, Banko ahead of all newcomers

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    "The Devils" by Michael Krzyszewski. History of the Duke Blue Devils student team - HOOPS BELARUS - Blogs

    The Duke Blue Devils men's team represents Duke University in the NCAA. The Blue Devils are the fourth-most winning team among all college basketball teams.

    Duke won 5 NCAA titles. At the moment, Duke University has as many championship titles as the universities of North Carolina and Indiana. In first place is the University of California, and in second place is the University of Kentucky. The Blue Devils have the best winning percentage, which is 75%. Eleven Duke basketball players have been named Players of the Year, and 71 players have been selected in the NBA Draft.

    In 2008, ESPN named Duke's basketball program the best: "By any measure of success, Duke is the king of the hill in college basketball among the 64 teams in the NCAA Tournament." After such recognition by the largest sports media, the Blue Devils won two more championships in 2010 and in 2015.

    The history of Duke basketball dates back to 1906…

    Basketball appeared on the courts of Durham in 1906 when Duke University was still officially called “Colleg Trinity”. Chief Sports Development Officer at Trinity Wilbor Wade Card introduced a new sport to the college, which was basketball. In January of that year, Trinity College played Wake Forrest. The athletes from Trinity lost the first official match with a score of 24:10. Trinity won his first title in 1920 when he won the North Carolina College of Agriculture and Engineering (now North Carolina State University). While Trinity College was waiting for the first title, albeit in the state championship, 6 coaches changed at the helm of the men's team. Everything changed after 9 became the main mentor0011 Walter Rotensis . Rotensis studied at Hamilton College and later at Princeton. When America entered the First World War, he went to fight in France with the rank of lieutenant. After returning to the US in 1919, he was invited to work at Duke.

    In 1928 Eddie Cameron became head coach of the Duke basketball team. Cameron was a professional athlete who played American football and basketball. After completing his career as a player, he began to coach at the university, but only as an assistant. Also, he was engaged in scouting and worked as a team administrator. At 19In 28, Cameron took over from George Buckheit as coach of the Duke University men's team. Cameron was with the Blue Devils for 14 seasons. With Eddie Cameron, Duke became a two-time regular season champion in the Conference and twice won the regular season and the Divisional Conference.

    In 1942 Jerry Gerard became the head coach and worked with the team for 8 years. Gerard's most successful years as a coach came in the first 4 seasons, when the Blue Devils became champions of the regular season of the Conference three times. Then Duke was under the leadership of Harold Bradley for a decade. At 1953, the Blue Devils became members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Bradley was able to win the regular season twice, in the 1954/1955 season to lead the Duke team to the 1/24 round of the NCAA tournament.

    Successful sixties Vic Buboas

    Duke's sixties in men's basketball passed under the tutelage of coach Vic Bubas 9 . Vic Bubas did everything to ensure that Duke's basketball program outgrew the regional level and began to conquer the national basketball arena. Scouting became the strongest side of Bubas. He was recognized as an innovator in recruiting, he skillfully recruited personnel for scouting and was a genius in collecting information about players. Bubas was able to learn about new talent earlier than other basketball coaches. Legendary North Carolina coach Dean Smith once said, “Vic taught us how to be recruits. We started with promising high school basketball players, and Vic was already working with junior classes. For some time we tried to catch up with him in this matter. Bubas' efforts paid off when his players not only lived up to the coach's expectations, but were recognized as the best in the entire country. Basketball player Art Heyman, who was noticed by Vic, became the National Player of the Year. Hayman was prepared for a completely different university - North Carolina. But it was a matter of chance, or a feud between Heyman's stepfather and a North Carolina coach, that brought Art to Vic Bubas's team. And Bubas made Art Heyman the best basketball player in college basketball of his time. The second major acquisition was Jeff Mullins of the University of Kentucky. Together, Heyman and Mullins formed a devastating duo.

    College basketball in the 1960s was not what it is today. Times were different. Freshmen were not allowed to play for the varsity team, only the winner of the Conference could play in the NCAA Tournament. The basketball team of Vic Bubas blossomed in the first season. The team has gotten stronger every season. In the 1959/1960 season, he lost twice to North Carolina and Wake Forest, who were Duke's main competitors. But Bubas got his revenge on his opponents in the Conference. The Blue Devils eventually received an automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament, with the Blue Devils winning two games before losing to New York University. In 7 out of 10 seasons, Vic Bubas was ranked among the top 10 coaches in college basketball by the Associated Press. Bubas led Duke to the NCAA Final Four three times (1963, 1964, 1966). The Blue Devils have won 4 championships in their Conference. In Bubas' 10 seasons at Duke, the team had a record of 213 wins to 67 losses. This record became the third in the number of victories in the 60s. Vic Bubas has a win percentage of 76, which is the 10th highest winning percentage among coaches in the NCAA. Vic Bubas retired as a coach in 1969 but remained at Duke University.

    Raymond "Bucky" Waters worked with the team for the next four seasons. Before joining Duke, Waters coached the West Virginia men's team. After Bucky Waters, the Blue Devils spent one season under Neil McGechie.

    How Bill Foster brought Duke back

    Duke University was Bill Foster's most successful coaching career. Foster was born in 1929 and played for Elizabethtown College. He started coaching in 1960. The first team in his career was Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania, then - 8 seasons in New Jersey, 3 years in Utah and, finally, six years in Duke. At the time, Duke was one of only eight universities to reach 1,000 wins, and hadn't played in the Final Four for quite some time, and indeed hadn't won a Conference tournament in a long time.

    “I knew Dukes from the Vic Bubas days when they were great. I thought the blue devils could be like that again. I was a bit shocked when they offered me to work with them. It seemed to me that it would be great to train there ”,” said Foster.

    In the early 1970s, colleges and universities in North Carolina competed in what was known as the Big Four Tournament. Duke did not excel in that tournament, and in the first season under the leadership of Foster, he performed just as badly. And so Bill Foster began to slowly rebuild the basketball program of the university. At 19'75 Duke got Jim Spanarkel, Player of the Year, and a year later, the great Mike Gminsky. These two made a great addition to Tate Armstrong. In the 1976/1977 season, it became clear that the Blue Devils were back: the season started with 12 wins and 3 losses. The Devils managed to defeat the University of North Carolina and Tennessee. But the winning streak could not last forever. In one of the matches with Virginia Tate, Armstrong broke his wrist and was out for the rest of the season. Without Armstrong, the young team was full of potential, but they lacked an experienced player on the court. The following season, they still surprised the world of college basketball, finishing second in the NCAA tournament, losing only to the powerful team of the University of Kentucky. Season-1978/1979 ended unsuccessfully, due to injuries, the Blue Devils finished their performance at stage 1/32. The final year of Foster's coaching career at Duke ended on a positive note, with his team finishing 5th in the Elite Eight.

    Bill Foster led the team for five seasons, with a 63% winning percentage. He was named Coach of the Year at the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1978. Foster won two Conference championships, two Big Four Tournament titles, Conference regular season championship, led Duke to 1978 in the Final Four, where the "blue devils" finished second. Some underestimate Foster's achievements, praising only Krzyzewski and Bubas, but the Bill Foster era at Duke brought the Devils back to the national basketball arena. After all, Foster laid the foundation for Mike Krzyzewski's initial success.

    The Coach-Kay era (1980-present)

    Mike Krzyszewski became a legend for Duke. It was Krzyzewski who led the Blue Devils to five NCAA titles, 12 Final Fours, 12 Atlantic Coast Conference regular season titles, and 13 CAP tournament titles. Mike Krzyzewski is the coach of the US men's national team, which he led to three Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012, 2016). Coach-Key worked with the American team at the 2010 and 2014 World Championships. At 19In '92, he was an assistant coach in the legendary team, which was nicknamed the "Dream Team" ("DreamTeam").

    After being discharged in 1974, Mike Krzyszewski was invited to work for Bobby Knight's team with the Indiana Hoosiers. After a year at Bloomington, Krzyszewski was named head coach of the West Point Military Academy men's basketball team, which he coached for five years.

    In March 1980, Duke announced that a new coach had been found for the Blue Devils, Mike Krzyzewski. After several seasons of team rebuilding, the Blue Devils have become one of the top teams in the NCAA Tournament. In his 34 years with Duke, Krzyszewski led the team to the playoffs 31 times. Coach-Key and Duke for 34 years has a 76% win rate (86 W - 25 L). On February 13, 2010, Krzyszewski played his 1,000th match as Duke's head coach. March 20, 2011 he won 900th game, becoming the second of three coaches who reached the bar of 900 wins. In January 2015, Mike Krzyszewski earned the 1,000th win of his career when Duke beat the St. Johns at Madason Square Garden. He became the first men's basketball coach in the NCAA to reach 1,000 wins.

    National champions: 1990-1991, 1991-1992, 2000-2001, 2009-2010, 2014-2015.


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