Kentucky coaching records in SEC regular season home games

Kentucky's total record in SEC regular home games?



So, what's Kentucky's total record in SEC regular season games at Rupp Arena?

306-38 (89.0%)

In other words, they win more than 8 out of every 9 times.  What about by individual coach?

Calipari at Rupp: 66-3 (95.7%)
2010: 8-0
2011: 8-0
2012: 8-0
2013: 8-1
2014: 7-2
2015: 9-0
2016: 9-0
2017: 9-0

Billy G at Rupp: 12-4 (75%)
2008: 8-0
2009: 4-4

Tubby at Rupp: 67-12 (84.8%)
1998: 5-2 (also beat Alabama at Freedom Hall)
1999: 7-1
2000: 8-0
2001: 8-0
2002: 6-2
2003: 8-0
2004: 7-1
2005: 8-0
2006: 4-4
2007: 6-2

Pitino at Rupp: 60-4 (93.8%)
1990: 9-0
1991: 9-0
1992: 7-1
1993: 8-0
1994: 6-1 (also beat Ole Miss at Freedom Hall)
1995: 7-1
1996: 8-0
1997: 6-1 (also beat Vandy at Riverfront Coliseum)

Sutton at Rupp: 28-7 (80%)
1986: 9-0
1987: 6-2 (also beat Georgia at Freedom Hall)
1988: 7-2
1989: 6-3


Hall at Rupp: 73-8 (90.1%)
1977: 8-1
1978: 9-0
1979: 7-2
1980: 7-2
1981: 9-0
1982: 9-0 (but lost at Rupp in SEC tourn.)
1983: 8-1
1984: 9-0
1985: 7-2

Hall at Memorial: 31-5 (86.1%)
1973: 8-1
1974: 6-3
1975: 9-0
1976: 8-1

Hall's career total: 104-13 (88.9%)

Rupp at Memorial:
1951: 7-0 (also beat Ole Miss in Owensboro)
1952: 7-0 (also beat Georgia in Louisville)
1953: N/A
1954: 7-0 (also beat Georgia Tech in Louisville, Georgia in Owensboro)
1955: 7-1 (also beat LSU in Memorial in December '54...unclear whether this was an SEC game or not)
1956: 7-0 (also beat Georgia in Louisville)
1957: 7-0
1958: 7-0
1959: 7-0
1960: 5-2
1961: 7-0
1962: 6-1
1963: 4-3
1964: 7-0
1965: 7-1
1966: 8-0
1967: 5-3
1968: 8-0
1969: 9-0
1970: 9-0
1971: 9-0
1972: 9-0

Not only does Calipari have the best mark of any UK coach at Rupp Arena...it's even better than Adolph Rupp's home SEC record at Memorial Coliseum (150-12, 92.6%) and only a little bit behind Rupp's home SEC record at Alumni Gym (an absurd 71-2, 97.3%).

Rupp's overall home SEC record was 221-14 (94%).

Kentucky basketball vs. Alabama all-time (25 different coaches, 17 different arenas)

(Updated after their 2017 SEC tournament meeting)

Kentucky and Alabama have a long history in basketball.  147 total games (fewer than only three UK series - Tennessee, Vandy and Georgia).  

Alabama has managed a (relatively) decent home mark against the Cats, with 23 wins and 31 losses.  The Crimson Tide's home winning percentage against UK is third in SEC history behind Arkansas and Tennessee.  

And while their 5-23 mark at Rupp doesn't scream "success," those 5 wins are actually tied for second-most by any opponent in that arena (Florida has 7, LSU also has 5).

Many of the games have had high stakes, as the two teams have met 17 times in the SEC Tournament (fewer than only the 18 against LSU) and once in the NCAA Tournament.  UK holds a significant edge in those postseason matchups, at 16-2 overall (15-2 in the SEC Tournament, 1-0 NCAA).

Alabama has an excellent history in SEC basketball as a whole, with 14 combined titles:

- 8 regular season crowns (tied for third with Tennessee, behind UK's 47 and LSU's 11)

- 6 tournament titles (second behind UK's 28)

Only Tennessee (12 combined titles), LSU (12 combined titles), and Florida (11 combined titles) have come close to matching them in the fight against UK's dominance.

Alabama's most famous past coach is Wimp Sanderson.  He certainly had some success, especially against Hall, but the best winning percentage by any 'Bama coach against UK (minimum of 10 games)?  Believe it or not, that belongs to Mark Gottfried.  He was 5-8 against UK, including 5-6 against Tubby, with 2 wins in Rupp.

Let's take a look at the all-time series results...

Kentucky is 110-37 against Alabama (74.8%)

Kentucky is 55-9 at home against Alabama (85.9%)

Rupp Arena: 23-5 (82.1%)

Memorial Coliseum: 17-1 (94.4%)

Alumni Gymnasium: 15-2 (88.2%)

Buell Armory Gym: 0-1 (0%)

Kentucky is 31-23 in Tuscaloosa (57.4%)

Coleman Coliseum (since 1969): 20-17 (54.1%) - UK has never won, nor lost, more than 3 in a row there.

Foster Auditorium (1941-1968): 10-5 (66.7%)

Little Hall (1925, 1936): 1-1 (50%)

Kentucky is 24-5 at neutral sites against Alabama (82.8%)

Birmingham Athletic Club: 5-0 (regular season games from 1933 through 1938)

Jefferson County Armory (Louisville): 4-0 (won four SEC Tournament games in 1940s, including 1942 title)

Georgia Dome (Atlanta): 3-0 (all SEC Tournament games - in 1998, 2007 and 2011)

Bridgestone Arena / Gaylord Entertainment Center (Nashville): 4-0 (all SEC Tournament games - in 2006, 2010, 2016 and 2017)

Garrett Coliseum (Montgomery): 2-1 (won in 1958 and 1960, lost in 1956)

Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center: 2-1 (all SEC Tournament games...won in 1979, lost in 1983, won 1992 title)

The Omni (Atlanta): 1-0 (1986 NCAA Tournament)

Memorial Gymnasium (Nashville): 1-0 (1984 SEC Tournament)

Freedom Hall (Louisville): 1-0 (1998 regular season)

Rupp Arena: 1-1 (lost 1982 SEC Tournament Championship, won 1986 SEC Tournament Championship)

Birmingham City Auditorium: 0-2 (1939 and 1940 regular season games)

By type of game:
SEC regular season home games: 53-7
SEC regular season road games: 31-22
SEC regular season neutral games: 8-3

Total SEC regular season record: 92-32

Pre-SEC regular season home games: 2-2
Pre-SEC regular season road games: 0-1

Overall regular season record: 94-35

SEC Tournament games: 15-2
NCAA Tournament games: 1-0

Postseason record: 16-2

By UK coach:

John Calipari: 12-2 (5-0 home, 3-2 road, 4-0 SECT)

Billy Gillispie: 2-0 (1-0 home, 1-0 road)

Tubby Smith: 8-5 (2-2 home, 2-3 road, 1-0 in Louisville, 3-0 in SECT)

Rick Pitino: 9-2 (5-0 home, 3-2 road, 1-0 SECT)

Eddie Sutton: 7-3 (2-2 home, 3-1 road, 1-0 SECT, 1-0 NCAAT)

Joe B. Hall: 18-12 (11-2 home, 5-8 road, 2-2 SECT)

Adolph Rupp: 53-10 (28-1 home, 14-6 road, 5-2 in Birmingham, 2-1 in Montgomery, 4-0 in SECT)

John Mauer: 0-1 (home in 1929)

Ray Eklund: 1-0 (home in 1926)

Clarence Applegran: 0-1 (road in 1925)

George Buchheit: 0-1 (home in 1923)

By opposing coach:

Avery Johnson (since 2016): 0-5 against Kentucky (all against Calipari)

Anthony Grant (2010-15): 2-7 against Kentucky (all against Calipari)

Mark Gottfried (1999-2009): 5-8 against Kentucky (0-2 vs. Billy G, 5-6 vs. Tubby)

David Hobbs (1993-98): 0-7 against Kentucky (all against Pitino)

Wimp Sanderson (1981-92): 11-18 against Kentucky (2-4 vs. Pitino, 3-7 vs. Sutton, 6-7 vs. Hall)

CM Newton (1969-80): 7-18 against Kentucky (6-11 vs. Hall, 1-7 vs. Rupp)

Hayden Riley (1961-68): 3-9 against Kentucky (all against Rupp)

Eugene Lambert (1945, 1948, 1957-60): 0-6 against Kentucky (all against Rupp)

Johnny Dee (1954-56): 1-2 against Kentucky (all against Rupp)

Floyd Burdette (1947-52): 0-10 against Kentucky (all against Rupp)

Hank Crisp (1925-42, 1946): 6-20 against Kentucky (4-19 vs. Rupp, 1-0 vs. Mauer, 0-1 vs. Eklund, 1-0 vs. Applegran)

Malcom Laney (1945): 0-1 against Kentucky (Rupp)

Paul Burnum (1943): 1-1 against Kentucky (Rupp)

Charlie Bernier (1923): 1-0 against Kentucky (Buchheit)

Kentucky basketball vs. South Carolina all-time (9 different arenas)

(updated through 2017 regular season)

South Carolina.  They have some memorably frustrating wins against UK (including two in the conference tournament against Tubby, Pitino's last game in blue at Rupp Arena, and the "Obama Curse" game in 2010).  But like any other SEC team, their overall results against the Cats are less than inspiring.

UK's overall record is currently 51-11 against USC-East (82.3%).  Let's check out the breakdown.

Home games: 27-2 (93.1%)

Rupp Arena: 24-2 (92.3%) - losses were 1997, 2009...two of the wins came before Carolina joined the SEC

Memorial Coliseum: 1-0 (100%) - the 1967 UKIT

Alumni Gym: 2-0 (100%) - games were in 1933 and 1941

Road games: 20-7 (74.1%)

Carolina Center / Colonial Center / Colonial Life Arena: 9-4 (69.2%) - losses were in 2005, 2009, 2010, 2014

Carolina Coliseum / Frank McGuire Arena: 11-2 (81.8%) - losses were in 1994, 1997...two of the wins were pre-SEC

Carolina Fieldhouse: 0-1 (0%) - game was in 1933

Neutral sites: 4-2 (57.1%)

Atlanta Municipal Auditorium: 1-0 (100%) - 1928 Southern Conference Tournament

Georgia Dome: 2-1 (67%) - 1998, 2002 and 2004 SEC Tournament

Gaylord Entertainment Center: 1-1 (50%) - 2001 and 2006 SEC Tournament

By type of game:

Regular season SEC home games: 22-2
Regular season SEC road games: 18-6
Regular season SEC neutral games: 0-0
Regular season SEC games overall: 39-8

Regular season pre-SEC home games: 5-0
Regular season pre-SEC road games: 2-1

SEC Tournament: 3-2

Southern Conference Tournament: 1-0

NCAA Tournament: N/A

By coach:

Calipari: 10-2
Billy G: 2-2
Tubby: 22-3
Pitino: 9-3
Sutton: 0-0
Hall: 4-0
Rupp: 3-1
Mauer: 1-0

Kentucky basketball vs. Mississippi State all-time (13 different arenas)

Bulldog basketball fans don't bring as many cowbells as the football fans do, but they certainly bring the hatred.  Even so, they haven't been as successful as some other conference foes against Kentucky.  Maybe that's why they hate us so much?  Sorry!

UK's overall record is now 87-18 against MSU (82.9%).  Let's check out the breakdown.

Home games: 44-4 (91.7%)

Rupp Arena: 26-2 (92.9%) - losses were 1995, 2009

Memorial Coliseum: 16-2 (88.9%) - losses were 1962, 1967

Alumni Gym: 2-0 (100%) - games were in 1939 and 1940

Road games: 34-12 (73.9%)

Humphrey Coliseum: 21-9 (70%) - last loss was in 2008

New Gymnasium: 13-3 (81.3%) - first road game was in 1951

Neutral sites: 9-2 (81.8%)

Jefferson County Armory (Louisville): 3-0 (100%) - SEC Tournament

Owensboro (KY) Sportscenter: 1-0 (100%) - SEC regular season

Alumni Memorial Gymnasium (Knoxville): 1-0 (100%) - SEC Tournament

Atlanta Municipal Auditorium: 1-0 (100%) - SEC Tournament

The Pyramid (Memphis): 1-0 (100%) - SEC Tournament

Bridgestone Arena (Nashville): 1-0 (100%) - SEC Tournament

Superdome (New Orleans): 1-1 (50%) - SEC Tournament

Georgia Dome (Atlanta): 0-1 (0%) - SEC Tournament

By type of game:

Regular season SEC home games: 44-4
Regular season SEC road games: 34-12
Regular season SEC neutral games: 1-0
Regular season SEC games overall: 79-16

Regular season pre-SEC home games: N/A

SEC Tournament: 8-2

NCAA Tournament: N/A

By coach:

Calipari: 10-0
Billy G: 0-2
Tubby: 10-2
Pitino: 8-4
Sutton: 7-1
Hall: 22-4
Rupp: 30-5

Rating the conferences by median Basketball Power Index

ESPN's new BPI, or Basketball Power Index, is more comprehensive and logical than the established RPI, or Ratings Percentage Index.  I have immediately adopted it as a preferred measure.

As with any index, if you want to examine pools of teams against one another, especially to compare conferences, you want to compare median rather than mean.  This gives you an indication of how difficult an average game is for any team in that conference.


It paints a slightly surprising picture:


1) Big 12 - median BPI 28 - much better than mean, shows that most game nights are no cakewalk in the 2012 version of this league


2) Big Ten - median BPI 47 - everyone knows this is a strong league, no surprise here


3) Big East - median BPI 59.5 - also ranked third in mean BPI and mean RPI


4) ACC - median BPI 63 - better than they fare in mean BPI


5) SEC - median BPI 77 - worse than they rate in mean BPI


6) Pac-12 - median BPI 78 - much better than their mean BPI


6) Atlantic 10 - median BPI 78 - much better than their mean BPI


8) MWC - median BPI 80 - worse than their ranking for mean BPI


9) MVC - median BPI 106 - as expected


10) WCC - median BPI 146 - as expected


In some ways, the SEC performed better in this year's nonconference games than would've been expected.  However, the overall rigor of the league is still roughly on a plane with the Pac-12, A-10 and MWC.  As always, the NCAA tournament will provide us with much more data for assessment of each league's strength.

Stats from the Florida game, in perspective

1) UK beat hated SEC rival Florida by 20 points.

On the surface, that already sounds nice.  But consider the following:

- this is only the 14th time in AP poll history (since '48-49) that UK has beaten a top-10 opponent by 20 points

- UK hasn't beaten Florida by 20 since Senior Day 2004

- UK has now won four SEC games in a row by 20 or more points.  They haven't done that since 1993, and haven't won five in a row by that margin since 1959.  The school record is 12 SEC victories in a row by 20+, which happened in the undefeated 1954 season.

2) UK made 60% of its threes (9 of 15)

- this was the best percentage since making 10 of 16 (63%) against Boston University 11/30/10

- last time they bested this in league play was 12 of 19 (63%) at #24 UT 1/13/09 (the Meeks 54 game)

- last time they made 60% or more of their threes against a top ten opponent was....never

3) UK held hot-shooting Florida to 6 of 27 from behind the arc

- the last time an opponent shot a worse percentage while still hoisting up 27+ attempts was Liberty, which went 6 of 28 on 11/21/07

- the last time a league opponent "accomplished" that was South Carolina, which went 6 of 28 on 1/11/03 at Rupp