1995–96 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

1995–96 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
	East
	West
	† 1996 SEC Tournament winner ; Rankings from AP Poll

1995–1996 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
1995–1996 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
SEC regular season champions
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, Champions
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 1
AP	No. 2
1995–1996 record	34–2 (16–0 SEC)
Head coach	Rick Pitino (7th season);
Assistant coaches	Jim O'Brien; Winston Bennett; Delray Brooks;
Home arena	Rupp Arena
	Seasons ← 1994–95 1996–97 →

The 1995–96 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in the 1995–96 college basketball season. Coached by Rick Pitino, the team finished the season with a 34–2 record and won the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship over the Syracuse University Orangemen, 76–67.

Also known as "The Untouchables",^[2] nine players from the 95–96 team eventually played in the NBA. These players were Derek Anderson, Tony Delk, Walter McCarty, Ron Mercer, Nazr Mohammed, Mark Pope, Jeff Sheppard, Wayne Turner, and Antoine Walker. The 1995–96 Kentucky team is widely regarded as one of the greatest teams in NCAA Division I Men's Basketball history.

Roster[]

1995–96 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown
G	00	Tony Delk	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	—	Sr	Brownsville, TN
G/F	3	Allen Edwards	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	—	So	Miami, FL
G	5	Wayne Turner	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	—	Fr	Boston, MA
C	13	Nazr Mohammed	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	—	Fr	Chicago, IL
G	15	Jeff Sheppard	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	—	Jr	Peachtree City, GA
G	21	Cameron Mills	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	—	So	Lexington, KY
G/F	23	Derek Anderson	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	—	Jr	Louisville, KY
F	24	Antoine Walker	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	—	So	Chicago, IL
G	25	Anthony Epps	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	—	Jr	Lebanon, KY
F	32	Jared Prickett	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	—	Jr	Fairmont, WV
F	33	Ron Mercer	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	—	Fr	Nashville, TN
F	40	Walter McCarty	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	—	Sr	Evansville, IN
C	41	Mark Pope	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	—	Sr	Bellevue, WA
F	43	Jason Lathrem	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	—	Fr	Bowling Green, KY
G	51	Oliver Simmons	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	—	Fr	Nashville, TN

Head coach

Rick Pitino

Assistant coach(es)

Jim O'Brien
Winston Bennett
Delray Brooks

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

^[3]

Schedule[]

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
11 July 1995* no, UKTV		Cagiva Varese	W 98–74		Rupp Arena (–) Lexington, KY
17 November 1995* no, UKTV		Athletes in Action	W 119–80		Rupp Arena (–) Lexington, KY
Regular Season
24 November 1995* no, ESPN	No. 1	vs. No. 14 Maryland Tip-off Classic	W 96–84	1–0	Springfield Civic Center (8,999) Springfield, MA
28 November 1995* no, ESPN	No. 1	vs. No. 5 Massachusetts Great Eight	L 82–92	1–1	The Palace (15,454) Auburn Hills, MI
12 February 1995* no, CBS	No. 1	vs. Indiana	W 89–82	2–1	RCA Dome (41,071) Indianapolis, IN
12 June 1995* no, UKTV	No. 5	Wisconsin-Green Bay	W 74–62	3–1	Rupp Arena (22,825) Lexington, KY
12 September 1995* no, ESPN	No. 5	No. 16 Georgia Tech	W 83–60	4–1	Rupp Arena (24,238) Lexington, KY
16 December 1995* no, UKTV	No. 5	Morehead State	W 96–32	5–1	Rupp Arena (24,065) Lexington, KY
19 December 1995* no, UKTV	No. 5	vs. Marshall	W 118–99	6–1	Freedom Hall (19,795) Louisville, KY
23 December 1995* no, CBS	No. 4	No. 25 Louisville	W 89–66	7–1	Rupp Arena (24,340) Lexington, KY
27 December 1995* no, UKTV	No. 2	vs. Rider ECAC Holiday Festival	W 90–65	8–1	Madison Square Garden (13,175) New York, NY
29 December 1995* no, UKTV	No. 2	vs. Iona ECAC Holiday Festival	W 106–79	9–1	Madison Square Garden (13,659) New York, NY
1 March 1996 no, JP	No. 2	at South Carolina	W 89–60	10–1 (1–0)	Frank McGuire Arena (12,068) Columbia, SC
1 June 1996 no, UKTV	No. 2	Mississippi	W 90–60	11–1 (2–0)	Rupp Arena (21,275) Lexington, KY
1 September 1996 no, ESPN	No. 2	at No. 12 Mississippi State	W 74–56	12–1 (3–0)	Humphrey Coliseum (10,315) Starkville, MS
13 January 1996 no, UKTV	No. 2	Tennessee	W 61–44	13–1 (4–0)	Rupp Arena (24,247) Lexington, KY
16 January 1996 no, ESPN	No. 2	at Louisiana State	W 129–97	14–1 (5–0)	Pete Maravich Assembly Center (12,684) Baton Rouge, LA
20 January 1996* no, ESPN	No. 2	Texas Christian	W 124–80	15–1	Rupp Arena (24,189) Lexington, KY
24 January 1996 no, JP	No. 2	at Georgia	W 82–77	16–1 (6–0)	Stegeman Coliseum (10,523) Athens, GA
27 January 1996 no, UKTV	No. 2	South Carolina	W 89–57	17–1 (7–0)	Rupp Arena (24,229) Lexington, KY
2 March 1996 no, JP	No. 2	Florida	W 77–63	18–1 (8–0)	Rupp Arena (24,251) Lexington, KY
2 July 1996 no, JP	No. 2	at Vanderbilt	W 120–81	19–1 (9–0)	Memorial Gymnasium (15,311) Nashville, TN
2 November 1996 no, CBS	No. 2	Arkansas	W 88–73	20–1 (10–0)	Rupp Arena (24,336) Lexington, KY
2 November 1996 no, JP	No. 2	Georgia	W 86–73	21–1 (11–0)	Rupp Arena (24,206) Lexington, KY
17 February 1996 no, JP	No. 2	at Tennessee	W 90–50	22–1 (12–0)	Thompson-Boling Arena (23,115) Knoxville, TN
20 February 1996 no, ESPN	No. 2	Alabama	W 84–65	23–1 (13–0)	Rupp Arena (24,175) Lexington, KY
24 February 1996 no, CBS	No. 2	at Florida	W 94–63	24–1 (14–0)	Stephen C. O'Connell Center (10,697) Gainesville, FL
27 February 1996 no, ESPN	No. 2	at Auburn	W 88–73	25–1 (15–0)	Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum (10,108) Auburn, AL
3 February 1996 no, UKTV	No. 1	Vanderbilt	W 101–63	26–1 (16–0)	Rupp Arena (24,257) Lexington, KY
1996 SEC Tournament
3 August 1996 no, JP	No. 1	vs. Florida Quarterfinals	W 100–76	27–1	Louisiana Superdome (21,248) New Orleans, LA
3 September 1996 no, JP	No. 1	vs. Arkansas Semifinals	W 95–75	28–1	Louisiana Superdome (24,556) New Orleans, LA
3 October 1996 no, CBS	No. 1	vs. No. 25 Mississippi State Finals	L 73–84	28–2	Louisiana Superdome (24,462) New Orleans, LA
1996 NCAA Tournament (Tournament seeding in parentheses)
14 March 1996* no, CBS	No. 2 (1)	vs. (16) San Jose State Midwest Regional 1st Round	W 110–72	29–2	Reunion Arena (13,458) Dallas, TX
16 March 1996* no, CBS	No. 2 (1)	vs. No. 16 (9) Virginia Tech Midwest Regional 2nd Round	W 84–60	30–2	Reunion Arena (15,469) Dallas, TX
21 March 1996* no, CBS	No. 2 (1)	vs. No. 10 (4) Utah Midwest Regional Semifinal	W 101–70	31–2	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (30,334) Minneapolis, MN
23 March 1996* no, CBS	No. 2 (1)	vs. No. 13 (2) Wake Forest Midwest Regional Final	W 83–63	32–2	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (30,397) Minneapolis, MN
30 March 1996* no, CBS	No. 2 (M1)	vs. No. 1 (E1) Massachusetts National Semifinal	W 81–74	33–2	Continental Airlines Arena (19,229) East Rutherford, NJ
1 April 1996* no, CBS	No. 2 (M1)	vs. (W4) Syracuse National Championship	W 76–67	34–2	Continental Airlines Arena (19,229) East Rutherford, NJ
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

^[4]

Rankings[]

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Final
AP	1	1	1	5	5	4	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	1	1	2	Not released
Coaches	1	1	1	5	5	4	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	1	1	2	1

Awards and honors[]

Tony Delk, NCAA Men's MOP Award^[5]

Players drafted into the NBA[]

Round	Pick	Player	NBA Club
1	6	Antoine Walker	Boston Celtics
1	16	Tony Delk	Charlotte Hornets
1	19	Walter McCarty	Portland Trail Blazers
2	23 (52)	Mark Pope	Indiana Pacers

^[6]

References[]

^ sports-reference.com 1995-96 Southeastern Conference Season Summary
^ Bradley, Bill (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House, Inc. p. 236. ISBN 0-345-51392-4.
^ http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/roster1995-96.html
^ http://www.bigbluehistory.net
^ "Final Four Most Outstanding Players". cbs.sportsline.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 31 March 2008.
^ "1996 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved 24 January 2021.

External links[]

Official Site Archived 7 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine

[1] sports-reference.com 1995-96 Southeastern Conference Season Summary

[2] Bradley, Bill (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. Random House, Inc. p. 236. ISBN 0-345-51392-4.

[3] ttp://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/Statistics/roster1995-96.html

[4] ttp://www.bigbluehistory.net

[Tourney_History-5] "Final Four Most Outstanding Players". cbs.sportsline.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 31 March 2008.

[6] "1996 NBA Draft". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved 24 January 2021.

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[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

show v t Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
Venues	State College Gymnasium (1903–1914) Buell Armory Gymnasium (1910–1924) Alumni Gymnasium (1924–1950) Memorial Coliseum (1950–1976) Rupp Arena (1976–present) Joe Craft Center (practice)
Rivalries	Centre College (historical) Florida Indiana Louisville North Carolina Tennessee Transylvania (historical)
Culture & lore	History under Adolph Rupp Basketbowl Champions Classic Fabulous Five "The Shot" The Unforgettables 2011 Indiana game The Rivalry: Red v. Blue
People	Head coaches Honorees NBA draftees Players Recruiting history Statistical leaders
Seasons	1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1913–14 1920–21 1932–33 1933–34 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1957–58 1960–61 1965–66 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22
Helms and Premo-Porretta national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics; NCAA championships in bolded italics

1995–96 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
v t	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
East
No. 2 Kentucky	16	–	0	1.000	34	–	2	.944
Georgia	9	–	7	.563	21	–	10	.677
South Carolina	8	–	8	.500	19	–	12	.613
Vanderbilt	7	–	9	.438	18	–	14	.563
Florida	6	–	10	.375	12	–	16	.429
Tennessee	6	–	10	.375	14	–	15	.483
West
No. 19 Mississippi State †	10	–	6	.625	26	–	8	.765
Arkansas	9	–	7	.563	20	–	13	.606
Alabama	9	–	7	.563	19	–	13	.594
Ole Miss	6	–	10	.375	12	–	15	.444
Auburn	6	–	10	.375	19	–	13	.594
LSU	4	–	12	.250	12	–	17	.414

† 1996 SEC Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll^[1]