Kentucky Wildcats 2021: News, Schedule, Roster, Scores, Injury Report

The Kentucky Wildcats compete in NCAA Mens Basketball as a part of the Southeastern Conference. Their conference opponents are colleges like Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, Alabama among others. They were founded in 1909.

The team got their 'Wildcats' nickname in 1909, assigned to the football team which the basketball team also adopted. While their initial logo in 1973 saw an actual wild cat with an open mouth, it has since been refined to include the letters 'U' and 'K'. The modern logo is relatively minimalistic.

The modern logo was first used in 1997 as an alternative logo. The current logo was designed in 2016 and saw a minor tweaking of the shape of the letters.

History

Who is the Coach of Kentucky Wildcats?

The current coach of the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team is renowned basketball coach John Calipari. He is a three-time Naismith College Coach of the Year, winning the award in three decades (1996, 2009, and 2015). He has coached the NBA's New Jersey Nets, been an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers, and been a college head coach at UMass and Memphis.

Calipari is in his 11th season as the coach of the Wildcats, leading the team to an NCAA Division 1 Tournament Win in 2012. Calipari signed a 'lifetime extension' with Kentucky in 2019, guaranteeing a coaching job for the next 10 years.

Who is the Athletic Director of Kentucky Wildcats?

The Athletic Director for the Wildcats is Mitch Barnhart. He is the tenth athletic director in the University's history and is currently the longest-serving one in the entire SEC. He joined Kentucky in 2002, succeeding Larry Ivy. Barnhart signed a six-year extension to keep him at the college in 2016.

Kentucky Wildcats: Championships and Accomplishments 

Kentucky Wildcats basketball program is the most successful in NCAA Division 1 history. They lead the division in both all-time wins as well as all-time winning percentage.

They also lead all schools in NCAA tournament appearances (59), NCAA tournament wins (131), total postseason tournament appearances (68), and conference regular-season champions (51).

The school also has the second-most appearances in NCAA Final Four history, making it their 17 times. However, they are tied with UCLA. They are also tied with UCLA in most NCAA Championship games, with both schools making 12 appearances.

They have eight title wins, with those coming in 1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998, and 2012.

Kentucky Wildcats: Greatest NBA Players

With their success, Kentucky has also produced some of the best NBA basketball players of all time. John Wall, Anthony Davis, and Karl-Anthony Towns are all active first-overall picks that played for Kentucky. Davis won a national title in his single year at Kentucky in 2012.

These active players are joined by the likes of DeMarcus Cousins, Rajon Rondo, Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker, and De'Aaron Fox, among others. There are currently 29 active players that played college basketball for Kentucky.

The university has seen some greats before this as well. This includes the likes of Dan Issel, Jamal Mashburn, Antoine Walker, and Cliff Hagan.

Kentucky Wildcats: Mascot and Uniform

The Kentucky Wildcats Men's Basketball and Kentucky Wildcats Football both share the same mascot. While the college lists three official mascots, one would only see two of them on game-night.

The two for games are 'Scratch' and 'The Wildcat'. While 'The Wildcat' is just a regular student in an outfit, 'Scratch' is way more personable. The character was introduced later to appeal to kids. His characteristics are having fun and enjoying Coca-Cola.

However, the main mascot is one no one sees in the games. This mascot is a real wildcat (or bobcat) and is kept in the state-operated Salato Wildlife Education Center. The name of the wildcat is 'Blue', a reference to the college's primary color.

Their uniforms are usually a combination of blue and white, the official colors of the school.

Kentucky Wildcats: Current Roster

The Wildcats have 15 active players on their roster.

Kentucky Wildcats: Schedule

The Kentucky Wildcats will open their season on the 26th of November against Morehead State. They will play 27 games through the regular season. Their last regular-season game will be played on the 2nd of March, 2021. After that, they will enter the SEC Tournament to secure qualification for the final tournament,

The full schedule is available on the college website.