Which UK coaches have been best on the road in the SEC?

(Updated through win at Georgia on 2/18/17)

The Southeastern Conference was formed in the 1932-33 season, shortly after Adolph Rupp became UK's head coach (his first year was 1930-31).  Since that time, Kentucky has managed to dominate and demoralize the rest of the conference in basketball.  That has resulted in an understandable hatred of our success, which in turn has resulted in hostile road environments.  It's never easy to travel in the SEC...but which one of our coaches has had the most success?

Calipari in SEC road games:

Starkville - 100% (5-0)
Columbia, MO - 100% (2-0)
Auburn - 80% (4-1)
Oxford - 75% (3-1)
Athens - 67% (4-2)
Columbia, SC - 67% (4-2)
Nashville - 71% (5-2)
College Station - 67% (2-1)
Baton Rouge - 60% (3-2)
Tuscaloosa - 60% (3-2)
Gainesville - 50% (4-4)
Knoxville - 42% (3-4)
Fayetteville - 25% (1-3)

Cal's SEC road record by year:
2010: 6-2
2011: 2-6
2012: 8-0
2013: 4-5
2014: 5-4
2015: 9-0
2016: 4-5

2017: 5-2 so far

TOTAL: 43-24 (64.2%)

Billy Gillispie in SEC road games:
Athens - 100% (2-0)
Tuscaloosa - 100% (1-0)
Fayetteville - 100% (1-0)
Baton Rouge - 100% (1-0)
Auburn - 100% (1-0)
Knoxville - 50% (1-1)
Columbia SC - 50% (1-1)
Oxford - 0% (0-1)
Starkville - 0% (0-1)
Gainesville - 0% (0-2)

Nashville - 0% (0-2) - including a 41-point embarrassment his first year

Gillispie's SEC road record by year:
2008: 4-4
2009: 4-4

TOTAL: 8-8 (50%)

Tubby in SEC road games:

Columbia, SC - 90% (9-1)
Auburn - 80% (4-1)
Oxford - 80% (4-1) 
Starkville - 80% (4-1)
Athens - 70% (7-3) 
Knoxville - 60% (6-4) 
Nashville - 60% (6-4)
Fayetteville - 60% (3-2) 
Baton Rouge - 60% (3-2)
Gainesville - 40% (4-6)
Tuscaloosa - 40% (2-3)

Tubby's SEC road record by year:
1998: 8-0
1999: 4-4

2000: 4-4
2001: 4-4
2002: 4-4
2003: 8-0
2004: 6-2
2005: 6-2
2006: 5-3
2007: 3-5

TOTAL: 52-28 (65%)


Rick Pitino in SEC road games:
Auburn  - 80% (4-1)
Gainesville - 75% (6-2)
Athens - 75% (6-2)
Columbia SC - 67% (4-2)
Knoxville - 62.5% (5-3)
Nashville - 62.5% (5-3)
Tuscaloosa - 60% (3-2)
Starkville - 60% (3-2)
Oxford - 50% (2-2)
Baton Rouge - 40% (2-3)
Fayetteville - 33% (1-2)

Pitino's SEC road record by year:
1990: 1-8 
1991: 5-4
1992: 5-3
1993: 5-3
1994: 5-3
1995: 6-1 (also won vs. Ole Miss at The Pyramid)
1996: 8-0
1997: 6-2

TOTAL: 41-24 (63.1%)

Eddie Sutton in SEC road games:
Tuscaloosa - 75% (3-1)
Starkville - 75% (3-1)
Auburn - 50% (2-2)
Gainesville - 50% (2-2)
Baton Rouge - 50% (2-2)
Knoxville - 50% (2-2)
Oxford - 50% (2-2)
Nashville - 50% (2-2)
Athens - 33% (1-2) - also won 1 in Atlanta

Sutton's SEC road record by year:
1986: 8-1
1987: 4-5
1988: 5-3 (also won vs. Georgia at The Omni)
1989: 2-7

TOTAL: 19-16 (54.2%)

Joe B. Hall in SEC road games:
Gainesville - 77% (10-3)
Oxford - 77% (10-3)
Athens - 75% (9-3)
Starkville - 69% (9-4)
Nashville - 69% (9-4)
Auburn - 61.5% (8-5)
Baton Rouge - 46% (6-7) - but he lost 6 of his last 8
Tuscaloosa - 38.5% (5-8)
Knoxville - 8% (1-12) - by far the worst performance by any of our coaches against an SEC opponent

Joe B's SEC road record by year:
1973: 6-3
1974: 3-6
1975: 6-3
1976: 3-6
1977: 8-1
1978: 7-2
1979: 3-6

1980: 7-1 (also won vs. Georgia at The Omni)
1981: 6-3
1982: 4-5
1983: 5-4
1984: 5-4
1985: 4-5

TOTAL: 67-49 (57.8%)

Adolph Rupp in SEC road games:
Oxford - 100% (7-0) - also 3-0 at Jackson, 3-0 at Memphis
Sewanee - 100% (1-0)
Baton Rouge - 85% (11-2)
Athens - 79% (11-3) - also 3-0 at "neutral" Georgia sites
Starkville - 77% (10-3)
New Orleans - 77% (10-3)
Nashville - 72% (26-10) - but he was 7-7 in his last 14
Tuscaloosa - 70% (14-6)
Atlanta - 68% (15-7) - but he lost 6 of his last 10
Knoxville - 66% (25-13) - but he lost 6 of his last 10
Auburn - 64% (7-4)
Gainesville - 60% (9-6) - but he lost 5 of his last 6

Rupp's SEC road record by year:
1933: 2-0
1934: 5-0 (also won vs. Alabama at Birmingham)
1935: 4-0
1936: 1-2
1937: 1-3
1938: 2-0
1939: 2-0 (17-5 in '30s)

1940: 0-3
1941: 3-1
1942: 2-3
1943: 4-1
1944: N/A
1945: 1-1
1946: 3-0
1947: 5-0
1948: 5-0
1949: 4-0 (27-9 in '40s)

1950: 3-2
1951: 6-0
1952: 6-0
1953: N/A
1954: 4-0
1955: 5-1
1956: 3-1
1957: 4-2
1958: 3-1
1959: 4-2 (38-9 in '50s)

1960: 3-2
1961: 2-4
1962: 6-0
1963: 3-3
1964: 3-3
1965: 3-5
1966: 7-1
1967: 3-6
1968: 5-4
1969: 7-2 (42-30 in '60s)

1970: 8-1
1971: 7-2
1972: 5-4 (20-7 in '70s)

TOTAL: 144-60 (70.6%)

FINAL TALLY:

RUPP - 70.6%
TUBBY - 65%
CAL - 64.2%
PITINO - 63.1%
HALL - 57.8%
SUTTON - 54.2%

Here's a look at our results by decade in SEC road games...  

1930s: 17-5 (77.3%)
1940s: 27-9 (75%)
1950s: 38-9 (80.9%)
1960s: 42-30 (58.3%)
1970s: 56-34 (62.2%)
1980s: 50-38 (56.8%)
1990s: 53-28 (65.4%)
2000s: 48-32 (60.0%)
2010s: 43-24 (64.2%)

What SEC road sites have been most difficult for UK?

(Updated through road win at Georgia on 2/18/17)

It's no secret that UK has dominated the SEC in basketball.  Especially in Lexington.  Their combined home conference record against current league members?  520-54, a winning percentage of 90.6%.  Ridiculous!

The road has, of course, been significantly tougher.  But UK has still performed to an elite level in opposing conference venues.  Let's rank the opponents from easiest to toughest.

UK's all-time record in conference regular season road games at:

1) Columbia MO (Missouri) - 100% (2-0)
2) Sewanee - 100% (1-0) - left SEC after 1940
3) New Orleans (Tulane) - 76.9% (10-3) - left SEC after 1966
4) Columbia SC (South Carolina) - 75% (18-6)
5) Starkville (MSU) - 73.3% (34-12)
6) Oxford (Ole Miss) - 73.6% (28-10)
7) Athens (UGA) - 72.7% (40-15)
8) Auburn - 68.2% (30-14)
8) Atlanta (Georgia Tech) - 68.2% (15-7) - left SEC after 1964
10) College Station (A&M) - 66.7% (2-1)
11) Nashville (Vandy) - 66.3% (53-27)
12) Baton Rouge (LSU) - 60.9% (28-18)
13) Tuscaloosa (Alabama) - 58.5% (31-22)
14) Gainesville (Florida) - 58.3% (35-25)
15) Knoxville (Tennessee) - 52.4% (43-39)
16) Fayetteville (Arkansas) - 46.2% (6-7)

TOTAL: 64.6% (376-206)

TOTAL AGAINST CURRENT MEMBERS: 64.1% (350-196)

These results probably don't seem very surprising.  Fayetteville, Knoxville, Tuscaloosa, Gainesville, Baton Rouge and Nashville are exactly what you'd expect are the top tier of difficulty for the Cats.  They've had some battles (and some nightmarish losses) in all of those locales.

Still - how crazy is it that only ONE league team even has a non-losing home record against UK?  The perfectionist in me wants UK to ruin that mark, too!

What if we look at more recent history?  Just the last TEN road games at these places?

Columbia, MO - 100% (2-0)
Auburn - 80% (8-2)
Starkville - 80% (8-2)
Athens - 70% (7-3)
Oxford - 70% (7-3)
Columbia, SC - 70% (7-3)
College Station - 67% (2-1)
Baton Rouge - 60% (6-4)
Tuscaloosa - 60% (6-4)
Fayetteville - 50% (5-5)
Nashville - 50% (5-5)
Gainesville - 40% (4-6)
Knoxville - 40% (4-6)


And just under Calipari?

Starkville - 100% (5-0)
Columbia, MO - 100% (2-0)
Auburn - 80% (4-1)
Oxford - 75% (3-1)
Nashville - 71% (5-2)
Athens - 67% (4-2)
Columbia, SC - 67% (4-2)
College Station - 67% (2-1)
Tuscaloosa - 60% (3-2)
Baton Rouge - 60% (3-2)
Gainesville - 50% (4-4)
Knoxville - 42% (3-4)
Fayetteville - 25% (1-3)

His total SEC road regular season mark is 43-24 (64.2%)