5 memorable Kentucky basketball wins at Rupp Arena during John Calipari era in Lexington

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Kentucky basketball, coming off a road win over No. 8 Tennessee, will welcome its former coach back to Rupp Arena on Saturday.

John Calipari won more than 400 games during his 15 seasons leading the Wildcats. Tallying many of those victories in Lexington in front of UK fans, these five are among Calipari’s most memorable at Rupp.

January 2, 2010: Kentucky 71, Louisville 62

UK’s John Calipari talks with DeMarcus Cousins. March 14, 2010

In front of 24,479 fans at Rupp Arena, Calipari faced Louisville for the first time at home. Going up against former Wildcats coach Rick Pitino, the Cats were 15-0 and ranked third in the AP Top 25. UK was led by a dynamic group of freshmen in John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe. Cousins scored 18 points and grabbed 18 rebounds; Wall (17), Bledsoe (12) and Patrick Peterson (17) all scored in double figures.

December 3, 2011: Kentucky 73, North Carolina 72

This battle was between top-ranked Kentucky and fifth-ranked North Carolina at Rupp Arena.  Freshman Marquis Teague missed the first free throw of a 1-and-1, and with 20 seconds left in the game, the Tar Heels had one more opportunity to complete the upset on the road. In the final seconds, John Hendon’s shot was blocked by freshman Anthony Davis, who secured the rebound for the win. The win was the Wildcats’ 38th straight home victory since Calipari took over the program.

March 7, 2015: Kentucky 67, Florida 50

In the last game of the regular season, Kentucky defeated SEC foe Florida at Rupp Arena to finish 31-0. With the win, UK became the first team from a Power Five league to finish the regular season undefeated since Indiana in 1975-76. The 19 home wins also set a Rupp Arena record.

February 23, 2019: Kentucky 80,  Auburn 53

UK forward PJ Washington grabs the rebound during the University of Kentucky men’s basketball game against Tennessee State at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky on Friday, Nov. 23, 2018.

In 2019, Calipari surpassed Joe B. Hall on the school’s all-time wins list,…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/5-memorable-kentucky-basketball-wins-101614120.html

Author : The Courier Journal

Publish date : 2025-01-30 10:16:00

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