2017–18 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

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2017–18 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball
s
SEC Tournament champions
NCAA Tournament, Sweet Sixteen
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 17
APNo. 18
2017–18 record26–11 (10–8 SEC)
Head coach
  • John Calipari (9th season)
Assistant coaches
Home arenaRupp Arena
Seasons
2017–18 Southeastern Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 19 Auburn 13 – 5   .722 26 – 8   .765
No. 13 Tennessee 13 – 5   .722 26 – 9   .743
No. 23 Florida 11 – 7   .611 21 – 13   .618
No. 18 Kentucky † 10 – 8   .556 26 – 11   .703
Missouri 10 – 8   .556 20 – 13   .606
Arkansas 10 – 8   .556 23 – 12   .657
Mississippi State 9 – 9   .500 25 – 12   .676
Texas A&M 9 – 9   .500 22 – 13   .629
Alabama 8 – 10   .444 20 – 16   .556
LSU 8 – 10   .444 18 – 15   .545
Georgia 7 – 11   .389 18 – 15   .545
South Carolina 7 – 11   .389 17 – 16   .515
Vanderbilt 6 – 12   .333 12 – 20   .375
Ole Miss 5 – 13   .278 12 – 20   .375
† 2018 SEC Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2017–18 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games in Lexington, Kentucky for the 42nd consecutive season at Rupp Arena, with a capacity of 23,500. The team, led by John Calipari in his ninth season as head coach, was a member of the Southeastern Conference.

On January 22, 2018, following losses to South Carolina on the road, and to Florida at home, the Wildcats fell out of the AP rankings for the first time since March 2014.[1][2]

They finished the season 26–11, 10–8 in SEC play to finish in three-way tie for fourth place. They defeated Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee to become champions of the SEC Tournament. They earned the SEC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament where they defeated Davidson and Buffalo to advance to the Sweet Sixteen where they lost to Kansas State.

Previous season[]

The Wildcats finished the 2016–17 season 32–6, 16–2 in SEC play to win the regular season SEC championship. In the SEC Tournament the Wildcats beat Georgia, Alabama, and Arkansas to win the tournament championship. As a result, the Wildcats received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. As a No. 2 seed in the South region, they defeated No. 15 Northern Kentucky[3] and No. 10 Wichita State to advance to the Sweet 16.[4] There, they defeated No. 3 UCLA to advance to the Elite Eight[5] where they lost to eventual National Champion, No. 1 North Carolina.[6]

Offseason[]

Summary[]

On April 3, 2017, De'Aaron Fox announced that he was leaving the program to enter the 2017 NBA Draft, and would forgo his remaining eligibility.[7] On April 4, 2017, Malik Monk, in a release to the fanbase, stated that he intended to enter the NBA draft and sign with an agent, thus ending his remaining eligibility with the program.[8] On April 6, 2017, Isaiah Briscoe announced that he was leaving Kentucky to enter the 2017 NBA Draft, and would sign with an agent, forgoing his remaining eligibility.[9] On April 12, 2017, Isaac Humphries announced that he was leaving Kentucky to pursue a professional career in basketball and will sign with an agent, and would forgo remaining eligibility.[10] On April 24, 2017, Bam Adebayo stated that he intended to sign with an agent, thus ending his remaining eligibility with the program.[11] On May 24, 2017, the final day on which players who wished to return to college basketball could withdraw from the NBA draft, Hamidou Diallo, who entered the draft without hiring an agent, announced that he would return to Kentucky to play in 2017–18.[12]

Departures[]

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason left
De'Aaron Fox 0 Guard 6'3" 187 Freshman Katy, Texas Declared for 2017 NBA Draft
Bam Adebayo 3 Forward 6'10" 260 Freshman Washington, North Carolina Declared for 2017 NBA Draft
Malik Monk 5 Guard 6'3" 200 Freshman Lepanto, Arkansas Declared for 2017 NBA Draft
Mychal Mulder 11 Guard 6'4" 185 Senior Windsor, Ontario Graduated
Isaiah Briscoe 13 Guard 6'3" 210 Sophomore Newark, New Jersey Declared for 2017 NBA Draft
Isaac Humphries 15 Center 7'0" 255 Sophomore Sydney, Australia Declared for 2017 NBA Draft
Dominique Hawkins 25 Guard 6'0" 191 Senior Richmond, Kentucky Graduated
Derek Willis 35 Forward 6'9" 228 Senior Mount Washington, Kentucky Graduated

2017–18 newcomers[]

Nick Richards, a native of Kingston, Jamaica who moved to Queens, New York in 2013, was the first commitment in the Kentucky class. He committed to Kentucky on November 10 at a press conference at his high school.[13] He chose Kentucky over Arizona and Syracuse. He was a consensus five star prospect, and was ranked the consensus No. 14 overall player by the four main recruiting services.

P. J. Washington, a Dallas native attending school in Las Vegas, Nevada, was the second commitment in the Kentucky class. He committed to Kentucky on November 10 live on ESPNU.[13] He chose Kentucky over North Carolina and UNLV. He was a consensus five star prospect, and was ranked the consensus No. 15 overall player by the four main recruiting services.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, originally from Hamilton, Ontario and attending school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, was the third commitment in the Kentucky class. He committed to Kentucky on November 14 through a message on Twitter.[14] He was a consensus top fifty player, ranked No. 42 by the four main recruiting services Rivals, ESPN, Scout, and 24/7 Sports.

Quade Green, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was the fourth commitment in the Kentucky class. He signed his National Letter of Intent on November 16, the last day of the early signing period, but did not reveal his choice between Kentucky and Syracuse until an event at his high school on November 19 - with his mother Tamika Johnson by his side.[15] He was a consensus top-25 player and ranked as a five-star player by the four main recruiting services Rivals, ESPN, Scout, and 24/7 Sports.

Hamidou Diallo, a Queens native who graduated from a Connecticut school in spring 2016, announced on January 7, 2017 that he would enroll at UK for the start of the school's spring semester the following week. While he was eligible to play immediately, he redshirted the spring semester and began play as a freshman in 2017–18.[16]

Jemarl Baker, a native of Eastvale, California, was the seventh commitment in the Kentucky recruiting class. He announced his decision on April 11 via a story posted on Scout.com by Evan Daniels.[17] Baker originally committed to Cuonzo Martin at California, before Martin left the school to coach Missouri. He averaged 17.1 points, 4.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals for Roosevelt High School in Corona, Calif., and he quickly emerged as one of the Wildcats' top backcourt targets after their season ended last month. Scout.com ranks Baker as the No. 86 overall prospect in the 2017 class.[18]

UK's final commitment came on May 6, when Tampa product Kevin Knox announced he would come to the school. Kentucky beat out Duke, Florida State, North Carolina, and Missouri for Knox's signature.[19]

Kentucky recruits at the 2017 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
Quade Green
Kevin Knox
Nick Richards
Jarred Vanderbilt
P. J. Washington
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
G 		Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton Heights Christian (TN) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Nov 14, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Jemarl Baker
SG 		Eastvale, California Roosevelt High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Apr 11, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Hamidou Diallo
SG 		Queens, New York Putnam Science Academy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jan 7, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars
Quade Green
PG 		Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Neumann–Goretti 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Nov 16, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars
Kevin Knox
SF 		Tampa, Florida Tampa Catholic High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) May 6, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars
Nick Richards
C 		Kingston, Jamaica St. Patrick 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (110 kg) Nov 10, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars
P. J. Washington
PF 		Dallas, Texas Findlay Prep 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Nov 10, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars
Jarred Vanderbilt
SF 		Houston, Texas Victory Prep 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Dec 23, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: No. 2   Rivals: No. 2  247Sports: No. 2  ESPN: No. 2
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Kentucky 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2017-04-11.
  • "2017 Kentucky Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved 2017-04-11.
  • "2017 Kentucky Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-04-11.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2017-04-11.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2017-04-11.

2018–19 newcomers[]

Immanuel Quickley, from Havre de Grace, Maryland, was the first commitment in the Kentucky's 2018 class. He committed to Kentucky on September 22, over offers from Kansas and Miami. He was a consensus five-star prospect, and was ranked the consensus No. 12 overall player by the four main recruiting services.

The Wildcats' second 2018 commitment was Keldon Johnson, a small forward from South Hill, Virginia, who committed on November 11. Kentucky beat out Maryland, NC State, and Texas for Johnson's signature. He was also a consensus five-star prospect, and ranked by ESPN as its No. 7 overall prospect.[20]

Tyler Herro was the third commitment for Kentucky's 2018 class. Formerly committed to Wisconsin, Herro committed to Kentucky the week after his official visit. Herro was a consensus four-star prospect and was ranked the No. 4 shooting guard in the 2018 class by ESPN.

E.J. Montgomery was the fourth commitment for Kentucky's 2018 class. Former committed to Auburn, he re-opened his recruitment after the Auburn staff was implicated in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal. Montgomery committed to Kentucky on April 9, 2018. Montgomery was a five-star prospect and was ranked No. 12 in the 2018 class.[21]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Immanuel Quickley
PG 		Havre de Grace, MD John Carroll School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sep 22, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 90
Keldon Johnson
SF 		South Hill, VA Oak Hill Academy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Nov 11, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 94
Tyler Herro
SG 		Milwaukee, WI Whitnall High School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Nov 14, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 89
E. J. Montgomery
PF 		Marietta, GA Joseph Wheeler High School 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Apr 9, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 92
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: No. 2   Rivals: No. 2  247Sports: No. 2  ESPN: No. 2
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster[]

2017–18 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Quade Green 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Neumann–Goretti Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
F 1 Sacha Killeya-Jones 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 221 lb (100 kg) So Virginia Episcopal Chapel Hill, North Carolina
F 2 Jarred Vanderbilt 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 214 lb (97 kg) Fr Victory Prep Houston, Texas
G 3 Hamidou Diallo 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 198 lb (90 kg) RS Fr Putnam Science Academy Queens, New York
C 4 Nick Richards 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr St. Patrick (NJ) Kingston, Jamaica
SF 5 Kevin Knox 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Tampa Catholic Tampa, Florida
G 10 Jonny David (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 183 lb (83 kg) Jr Mt. Lebanon Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
G 12 Brad Calipari (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 176 lb (80 kg) So MacDuffie Franklin Lakes, New Jersey
G 13 Jemarl Baker Injured 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 182 lb (83 kg) Fr Eleanor Roosevelt Eastvale, California
F 14 Tai Wynyard (S) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg) So Rangitoto Auckland, New Zealand
G 22 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Hamilton Heights Christian (TN) Hamilton, Ontario
F 25 P. J. Washington 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 236 lb (107 kg) Fr Findlay Prep Dallas, Texas
G 30 Dillon Pulliam (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr Transylvania Cynthiana, Kentucky
F 32 Wenyen Gabriel 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Wilbraham & Monson Manchester, New Hampshire
Head coach
  • John Calipari (Clarion)
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

  • Roster is subject to change as/if players transfer or leave the program for other reasons.

Depth chart[]

Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2
C Nick Richards Sacha Killeya-Jones Tai Wynyard
PF P. J. Washington Wenyen Gabriel
SF Kevin Knox Jarred Vanderbilt Dillon Pulliam
SG Hamidou Diallo Johnny David
PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Quade Green Brad Calipari

Schedule and results[]

On June 6, 2017 Kentucky released the non-conference portion of its schedule.[22] The schedule is highlighted by marquee match-ups at Rupp Arena and across the country. Kentucky traveled to Chicago to play Kansas in the annual Champions Classic, to New York to play Monmouth, to New Orleans to play against UCLA in the annual CBS Sports Classic, and finally to face in-state rival Louisville in Lexington. Kentucky also hosted Virginia Tech and traveled to play West Virginia in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Big Blue Madness took place on October 13. The event was the debut of the team for the 2017–18 season. The annual Blue-White game took place on October 20, 2017.

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 27, 2017*
7:00 pm, SECN 		Thomas More W 103–61  –
  27 – Knox   10 – Tied   7 – Green  Rupp Arena (19,736)
Lexington, KY
October 30, 2017*
7:00 pm 		Morehead State
Kentucky Cares Classic 		W 92–67  –
  23 – Diallo   6 – Gabriel   5 – Green  Rupp Arena (14,138)
Lexington, KY
November 3, 2017*
7:00 pm, SECN 		No. 5 Centre W 106–63  –
  20 – Gabriel   11 – Knox   5 – Green  Rupp Arena (20,378)
Lexington, KY
Regular Season
November 10, 2017*
7:00 pm, SECN 		No. 5 Utah Valley W 73–63  1–0
  18 – Diallo   12 – Gabriel   5 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Rupp Arena (19,807)
Lexington, KY
November 12, 2017*
3:30 pm, ESPN 		No. 5 Vermont W 73–69  2–0
  17 – Washington   10 – Washington   4 – Green  Rupp Arena (20,174)
Lexington, KY
November 14, 2017*
9:30 pm, ESPN 		No. 7 vs. No. 4 Kansas
Champions Classic 		L 61–65  2–1
  20 – Knox   9 – Tied   4 – Diallo  United Center (21,684)
Chicago, IL
November 17, 2017*
7:00 pm, SECN 		No. 7 East Tennessee State
Adolph Rupp Classic 		W 78–61  3–1
  21 – Green   10 – Knox   6 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Rupp Arena (20,168)
Lexington, KY
November 20, 2017*
8:00 pm, SECN 		No. 8 Troy
Adolph Rupp Classic 		W 70–62  4–1
  17 – Knox   10 – Diallo   4 – Washington  Rupp Arena (19,548)
Lexington, KY
November 22, 2017*
8:00 pm, SECN 		No. 8 Fort Wayne
Adolph Rupp Classic 		W 86–67  5–1
  25 – Richards   15 – Richards   5 – Green  Rupp Arena (20,645)
Lexington, KY
November 26, 2017*
6:00 pm, SECN 		No. 8 UIC
Adolph Rupp Classic 		W 107–73  6–1
  25 – Knox   6 – Green   4 – Tied  Rupp Arena (20,212)
Lexington, KY
December 2, 2017*
3:30 pm, ESPN 		No. 7 Harvard W 79–70  7–1
  20 – Knox   7 – Tied   5 – Green  Rupp Arena (22,922)
Lexington, KY
December 9, 2017*
12:00 pm, ESPNU 		No. 8 vs. Monmouth
Citi Double Cash Classic 		W 93–76  8–1
  23 – Diallo   8 – Richards   9 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Madison Square Garden (10,438)
New York, NY
December 16, 2017*
2:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 8 Virginia Tech W 93–86  9–1
  21 – Knox   9 – Gabriel   5 – Tied  Rupp Arena (22,690)
Lexington, KY
December 23, 2017*
4:00 pm, CBS 		No. 7 vs. UCLA
CBS Sports Classic 		L 75–83  9–2
  18 – Diallo   6 – Tied   5 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Smoothie King Center (8,119)
New Orleans, LA
December 29, 2017*
1:00 pm, CBS 		No. 16 Louisville
The Battle for the Bluegrass 		W 90–61  10–2
  24 – Gilgeous-Alexander   7 – Tied   5 – Green  Rupp Arena (24,228)
Lexington, KY
December 31, 2017
6:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 16 Georgia W 66–61  11–2
(1–0) 		 21 – Gilgeous-Alexander   11 – Gabriel   4 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Rupp Arena (22,862)
Lexington, KY
January 3, 2018
8:30 pm, SECN 		No. 17 at LSU W 74–71  12–2
(2–0) 		 18 – Tied   11 – Knox   4 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Pete Maravich Assembly Center (11,952)
Baton Rouge, LA
January 6, 2018
9:00 pm, SECN 		No. 17 at No. 23 Tennessee
Rivalry 		L 65–76  12–3
(2–1) 		 14 – Green   8 – Richards   6 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Thompson-Boling Arena (21,678)
Knoxville, TN
January 9, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 21 Texas A&M W 74–73  13–3
(3–1) 		 18 – Diallo   7 – Gilgeous-Alexander   5 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Rupp Arena (22,643)
Lexington, KY
January 13, 2018
4:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 21 at Vanderbilt W 74–67  14–3
(4–1) 		 22 – Gilgeous-Alexander   9 – Gabriel   6 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Memorial Gymnasium (13,389)
Nashville, TN
January 16, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 18 at South Carolina L 68–76  14–4
(4–2) 		 21 – Knox   8 – Knox   3 – Vanderbilt  Colonial Life Arena (16,200)
Columbia, SC
January 20, 2018
8:15 pm, ESPN 		No. 18 Florida
Rivalry/College GameDay 		L 64–66  14–5
(4–3) 		 10 – Tied   9 – Richards   6 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Rupp Arena (24,394)
Lexington, KY
January 23, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPN 		Mississippi State W 78–65  15–5
(5–3) 		 22 – Washington   7 – Tied   6 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Rupp Arena (20,609)
Lexington, KY
January 27, 2018*
7:00 pm, ESPN 		at No. 7 West Virginia
Big 12/SEC Challenge/College GameDay 		W 83–76  16–5
  34 – Knox   11 – Vanderbilt   5 – Gilgeous-Alexander  WVU Coliseum (15,835)
Morgantown, WV
January 30, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 21 Vanderbilt W 83–81 OT 17–5
(6–3) 		 30 – Gilgeous-Alexander   8 – Knox   3 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Rupp Arena (21,143)
Lexington, KY
February 3, 2018
2:00 pm, CBS 		No. 21 at Missouri L 60–69  17–6
(6–4) 		 15 – Gilgeous-Alexander   10 – Vanderbilt   6 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Mizzou Arena (15,061)
Columbia, MO
February 6, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN 		No. 24 No. 15 Tennessee
Rivalry 		L 59–61  17–7
(6–5) 		 15 – Tied   8 – Richards   6 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Rupp Arena (23,332)
Lexington, KY
February 10, 2018
8:15 pm, ESPN 		No. 24 at Texas A&M L 74–85  17–8
(6–6) 		 19 – Gilgeous-Alexander   8 – Washington   8 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Reed Arena (13,263)
College Station, TX
February 14, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPN2 		at No. 10 Auburn L 66–76  17–9
(6–7) 		 19 – Knox   10 – Vanderbilt   3 – Vanderbilt  Auburn Arena (9,121)
Auburn, AL
February 17, 2018
2:00 pm, CBS 		Alabama W 81–71  18–9
(7–7) 		 16 – Washington   9 – Vanderbilt   4 – Tied  Rupp Arena (23,220)
Lexington, KY
February 20, 2018
9:00 pm, ESPN 		at Arkansas W 87–72  19–9
(8–7) 		 23 – Knox   10 – Washington   7 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Bud Walton Arena (18,083)
Fayetteville, AR
February 24, 2018
8:15 pm, ESPN 		Missouri W 87–66  20–9
(9–7) 		 21 – Knox   15 – Vanderbilt   8 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Rupp Arena (23,038)
Lexington, KY
February 28, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN2 		No. 23 Ole Miss W 96–78  21–9
(10–7) 		 22 – Knox   11 – Vanderbilt   10 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Rupp Arena (22,108)
Lexington, KY
March 3, 2018
12:00 pm, CBS 		No. 23 at Florida
Rivalry 		L 67–80  21–10
(10–8) 		 17 – Gilgeous-Alexander   7 – Washington   4 – Gilgeous-Alexander  O'Connell Center (10,558)
Gainesville, FL
SEC Tournament
March 9, 2018
3:30 pm, ESPN 		(4) vs. (12) Georgia
Quarterfinals 		W 62–49  22–10
  18 – Washington   9 – Knox   9 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Scottrade Center (16,364)
St. Louis, MO
March 10, 2018
1:00 pm, ESPN 		(4) vs. (9) Alabama
Semifinals 		W 86–63  23–10
  23 – Gabriel   8 – Washington   8 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Scottrade Center (18,729)
St. Louis, MO
March 11, 2018
1:00 pm, ESPN 		(4) vs. (2) No. 13 Tennessee
Championship 		W 77–72  24–10
  29 – Gilgeous-Alexander   7 – Knox   3 – Tied  Scottrade Center (18,973)
St. Louis, MO
NCAA Tournament
March 15, 2018*
7:10 pm, CBS 		(5 S) No. 18 vs. (12 S) Davidson
First Round 		W 78–73  25–10
  25 – Knox   8 – Gilgeous-Alexander   7 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Taco Bell Arena (11,673)
Boise, ID
March 17, 2018*
5:15 pm, CBS 		(5 S) No. 18 vs. (13 S) Buffalo
Second Round 		W 95–75  26–10
  27 – Gilgeous-Alexander   11 – Gabriel   6 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Taco Bell Arena (11,686)
Boise, ID
March 22, 2018*
9:37 pm, CBS 		(5 S) No. 18 vs. (9 S) Kansas State
Sweet Sixteen 		L 58–61  26–11
  18 – Washington   15 – Washington   5 – Gilgeous-Alexander  Philips Arena (15,616)
Atlanta, GA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. S=South.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings[]

See also: 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball 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 18 Final 
AP 5 7 8 7 8 8 7 16 17 21 18 RV 21 24 RV RV 24 RV 18 Not released 
Coaches 4 8 8 7 7 5 6 16 14 20 16 RV 22 24 RV RV 25 RV 20 17

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

References[]

  1. ^ "College basketball rankings: Kentucky falls out of AP Top 25 poll for 1st time since 2014". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
  2. ^ "Top 25 doesn't include the Cats. Remember what happened last time UK dropped out?". kentucky. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
  3. ^ "Freshmen lead Kentucky over Northern Kentucky: NCAA Tournament first round". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
  4. ^ "Wichita State vs. Kentucky - Game Recap - March 19, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
  5. ^ "UCLA vs. Kentucky - Game Recap - March 24, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
  6. ^ "North Carolina holds off Kentucky, moves on to Final Four: NCAA Tournament live updates recap, highlights, score, stats". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
  7. ^ Page, Fletcher (April 3, 2017). "Kentucky's De'Aaron Fox declares for the NBA draft". Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  8. ^ Koob, Dan (April 4, 2017). "Kentucky's Malik Monk declares for NBA Draft". Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  9. ^ Goodman, Jeff (April 6, 2017). "Kentucky's Isaiah Briscoe declares for NBA draft". Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  10. ^ Rapp, Timothy (April 12, 2017). "Isaac Humphries Declares for 2017 NBA Draft After Sophomore Year at Kentucky". Kentucky Sports Radio. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  11. ^ Norlander, Matt (April 24, 2017). "Kentucky loses another as Bam Adebayo is hiring an agent and will head to the NBA". Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  12. ^ Goodman, Jeff (May 24, 2017). "Kentucky's Hamidou Diallo will return for freshman season". Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  13. ^ a b "Kentucky lands commitments from a pair of five-star basketball recruits". Lexington Herald-Leader. 2016-11-10. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
  14. ^ "Calipari adds third commitment to Kentucky's recruiting class of 2017". Lexington Herald-Leader. 2016-11-14. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
  15. ^ Roberts, Ben (November 19, 2016). "New UK commitment Quade Green will bring 'Philly toughness' to Lexington". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  16. ^ Borzello, Jeff (January 7, 2017). "Hamidou Diallo, No. 11 in ESPN 100, picks Kentucky over UConn". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  17. ^ Daniels, Evan (April 11, 2017). "Four-star guard Jemarl Baker commits to Kentucky". Scout. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  18. ^ Roberts, Ben. "New basketball commitment Jemarl Baker is 'exactly what Kentucky needed'". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  19. ^ Borzello, Jeff (May 6, 2017). "Kevin Knox, No. 9-ranked prospect in 2017, commits to Kentucky". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  20. ^ Borzello, Jeff (November 11, 2017). "Keldon Johnson, No. 7 recruit in ESPN 100, joins Kentucky's 2018 class". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  21. ^ Borzello, Jeff (April 9, 2018). "E.J. Montgomery latest 5-star recruit to commit to Kentucky". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  22. ^ "UK Men's Basketball Unveils 2017-18 Nonconference Schedule". UKathletics.com. JMI Sports. 2016-06-06. Archived from the original on 2017-06-10. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
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